Abstract: Office ethics and professionalism reflect honesty, fortitude, responsibility and moral conduct in a system or organization. It is the capacity to act independently and uphold productive work practices. Like other organizations, the polytechnic system in Nigeria has its own ethical norms to guide employees in their duties. Nigerian higher education institutions like the Polytechnics have their core values that guide the conduct of their staff and students. Ethics therefore refers to the principles that guide us to make a positive impact through our decisions and actions. While office ethics refer to a set of codes, values and rules that help to determine right choices and behaviours in the office setting, professionalism means conducting oneself with responsibility, integrity, accountability and excellence. It thus means that office ethics and professionalism help an organization to achieve a common goal which is the elevation of the organization’s image and reputation. The study, which is based on content analysis, is an attempt to establish a nexus between office ethics and professionalism in the polytechnic system and argues that if we are to guarantee good image and reputation for the Polytechnic system in Nigeria, there is the need for staff to be ethical and professional in the conduct of their day-to-day duties and shun unethical practices at all costs. The paper recommends among others the need for staff to strictly uphold ethical standards and professionalism in the discharge of their daily duties. This, however, can be achieved, if management is willing and ready to support the staff with the needed tools and resources to discharge their duties.
Keywords: Ethics, Behaviour, Office, Professionalism, Workplace.
Title: Office Ethics and Professionalism in the Nigerian Polytechnic System
Author: Augustine Eguavuon Ainabor
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 13, Issue 2, April 2025 - June 2025
Page No: 140-146
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 23-April-2025
