Positive workplace ethical values and behaviour are increasingly important for businesses.
SWIG Senior Business Manager Nicola explains the impacts and influences of ethical behaviours, and how our workplace ethics and values shape our decision making.
What are Ethical Behaviours?
Ethical behaviours are defined as a set of moral principles, attitudes and rules that foster trust.
Our individual ethics can be influenced by our own experiences, personal aims, and knowledge. Beyond this the social environment in which we live will also have an influence on our views and behaviours. However, the most important factor is in how we demonstrate this – our ethical behaviours.
It is important to consider how significant ethics and values are in the decision-making process.
For example, just because something is legal should it be acted upon if it goes against our moral values? Should ‘going along’ with something for a period time be allowed because it is the social norm in our environment or should this be challenged?
Ethical Decision-Making
As a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), our ethical lending policy provides a framework for decision- making that helps us achieve our aim of using finance for economic, social, and environmental good.
Within this framework, our relationship- based approach means we can ensure that ethical decision-making is built into our lending processes.
SWIG Finance is a founding signatory to the Enterprise Lending CDFI Charter of Standards. Through this charter we are committed to adhering to the following principles:
- Supporting inclusive Growth – Using finance to support inclusive economic growth across our areas of operation
- Delivering Social and Environmental Impact – Using finance as a positive force, helping to enable wider social and environmental impacts where possible
- Removing Barriers to Finance – Remove wherever possible the barriers that communities and individuals have in seeking finance
- Being Fair Open & Transparent – To be a force for change within the financial services sector, seeking to make finance equitable, fair, open and transparent
- Operating to the Highest Standards – Operate to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and fidelity as beacons of best practice and exemplary governance within the financial services sector to which their boards are committed
- Using Profits for Purpose – To use our profits/surpluses to further the objects of each of our organisations
By working with these set principles, we continue to develop our sustainable loan portfolio that delivers finance for good in the communities we serve.
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a non-profit company which supports viable Southwest businesses that can’t secure sufficient funding from their bank. By empowering underserved SMEs to overcome their financial barriers, we are working to create a more balanced financial eco-system.
We’re growing every year. In 2021/22, we lent £10.8m to 502 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,000 jobs and generate £32.3m.
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930.