Civil servants represent the state, therefore their behaviour plays an important role for the citizens and the organization they are employed at. They encounter various issues at work and it often happens that they find themselves in an ethical dilemma or face breach of ethics. Breaches can also be severe with a large impact on the state, which is why it is important that the organization is aware of the consequences caused by the breach of ethics and can therefore form appropriate solutions or measures. This thesis is due to the sole importance of breaches of ethics.
The purpose of this thesis is to find whether civil servants act ethically at their workplace and if they even comply with codes made for public employees. The thesis consists of two parts - theoretical and research. The first part introduces terms, such as ethics, morality, civil service, civil servants, code of ethics, and corruption. The part dedicated to research, on the other hand, presents the results of a survey conducted in chosen organizations. Results have shown that civil servants are familiar with the codes, but are less inclined to use them in their work. Moreover, civil servants would report their colleague if they were involved in a breach of ethics, and the findings also show that civil servants think their employer does not do enough in terms of ethics in their organization.
The thesis could be used in the civil service because it highlights the importance of ethics during work, which has a positive impact for all involved - the organization, the civil servants and the citizens.
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