For the novice, this concise book provides a solid general overview of employment ethics. At best, it only introduces the topic and provides the reader with a general summary of the kinds of topics that are aligned with employment ethics.

Employment Ethics: Redefining the Employer-Employee Relationship is an excellent guide for both job-seekers and employees who are at a crossroads in their career. It is an easy-to-read book that defines employment as a transactional relationship and explains the power dynamic in the workplace. The author provides a brief history of workplace cultures over the past 150 years and major events that caused cultural changes.

Employment Ethics explains how some workplaces (or managers) exploit workers in ways that aren’t commonly recognized or acknowledged. There are chapters on discrimination, quality, safety, wages, and benefits. The author provides short examples using people in a variety of occupations, including factory workers, construction, retail, trucking, office settings, and gig workers. He also references labor laws around the world, so the material is not limited to readers in the United States.

I found the discussions on the hidden cost of toxic and imbalanced workplace dynamics to be particularly helpful. I recognized situations from previous employers and wish that this book had been available 20 years ago. Employment Ethics is full of practical tools to help people evaluate their current employment situation and recognize unethical business practices. This book is a helpful resource and belongs on the shelf of all public libraries and company libraries.

As a retired safety, health, and environmental professional, I appreciate the author’s emphasis on an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe work environment to their employees. While Chapter 5 was devoted to safety, workplace safety was mentioned throughout the book.

My only criticism of Employment Ethics is that the author lumped “gig workers” and “temporary workers” together. From my viewpoint, gig workers are people who are independent contractors who accept individual assignments, working for DoorDash, Uber, InstaCart, and freelance-type work. Conversely, some employers use temporary agencies to screen and try-out potential employees, often for a 60- or 90-day period. What I have personally witnessed and experienced is that some employers have no intention of ever hiring the temporary workers as permanent employees. Instead, the temps work side-by-side the permanent workers while earning a lower wage and receiving no benefits for years, while being promised a permanent job at some unspecified future date. With the sunken-cost fallacy, the temp worker tries to stick it out, since they have invested so much time at the employer site. Additionally, the temp workers are often given the least desirable job tasks with little training and safety equipment, and the temporary agency doesn’t have the oversight or knowledge of the workplace hazards.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and FTS Leaders for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As someone who works in HR I found this a really interesting read. I think it will give employees a different perspective on the employment relationship and has some really relevant information.

Pre-Read Notes:

I tend to be interested in questions of ethics and workplace ethics is always an area of interest for me. This seemed like an obvious choice.

"The idea of a “benevolent employer” suggests that companies are naturally generous, prioritizing employee well-being over profits. In reality, businesses operate under financial constraints, market pressures, and shareholder expectations that often conflict with employee needs." p25

Final Review

(thoughts & recs)The organization of this book is outstanding. The subject of employment ethics is complex and includes many subtopics, and yet I felt this text kept tightly to its primary concern -- what are workplace ethics and how does your employer apply the concepts or not?

I recommend this book to students of business management or business administration, but it's a fascinating read for anyone interested in workplace ethics or ethics and justice more generally.

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ The concept of the Golden Handcuffs is eye-opening for me.

✔️ "The charismatic CEO as a moral figure: Many companies market their leaders as ethical visionaries , emphasizing their commitment to progressive values, diversity, and employee well-being. These people focus on cultivating strong public personas that mix business acumen with a sense of mission and should be examples of success attribution." p26 This doesn't remind me of *anybody*. Not at *all*.

✔️ What makes this book brilliant is its brevity, while also being well organized and detail oriented.

Notes:

1. Mentions and discussions of the following: fire, unsafe workplace, jumping/falling, workplace bigotry, racism, sexism, ableism.

Thank you to the author Dr. Travis Schachtner, FTS Leaders, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of EMPLOYMENT ETHICS. All views are mine.

I really like this book. It’s very easy to read. Although it is intended for your average employee I feel it could also be useful for employers and managers as not everyone is an ethics expert. It covers most areas and take a social history, psychological and philosophical approach. Very interesting. Thanks to NetGalley and Fts Leaders for the advance copy.

I find employment matters one of the most mystical in the business world. If I don't understand it, it's got to be simple, right? Not really. Fortunately, this book raises the cover off employment ethical concerns and lets those who need the information a good look at it.

At first glance, I thought this book might just rehash workplace clichés, but it surprised me with its fresh, thoughtful take on the employee employer relationship. It pushed me to reflect on my own career, how I've navigated being an employee and what I've valued in my work. Even the ideas I might've once dismissed as idealistic felt authentic, never preachy or heavy handed.

As an employee, the book showed me there's more to work than just clocking in and out or blindly pledging loyalty to a company. It re framed my perspective, highlighting ways to find meaning and agency in my role. More than that, as someone who dreams of becoming an employer someday, it gave me a clear, inspiring blueprint for building a workplace that lifts up not just employees and leaders but the wider community, too. It's a book that has value in not just academia, but in the real world.