Construction Law

An Overview of Unethical Behavior in Construction Part 1 featured image

An Overview of Unethical Behavior in Construction Part 1

Whether it be your personal life or professional life, the principles, ideas, attitudes, moral standards, or rules of conduct you live by are the foundation of who you are. What you practice forms the basis of your ethics. Ethics is extremely important in the business world. It can be the difference between a stellar reputation and a bad one. Our Tampa construction attorneys will be focusing on unethical behavior in the construction industry.

In part two, we will focus on how unethical behavior impacts everyone and ways to minimize the behavior. Part three will focus on ways to practice ethics in your construction workplace and enforcing ethical practices.

Unethical Behavior Begets Unethical Behavior

Unethical behavior has the power to produce more unethical behavior as it can be contagious. A company’s reputation impacts its ability to attract good employees, contractors, suppliers, and customers. Good practices reap rewarding relationships with both internal and external parties; whereas, unethical behavior has the power to damage these relationships.

If the leaders of an organization are unscrupulous in their dealings, this behavior can flow down the chain of command. Likewise, one companies unethical practices can cause the party they are contracting with to retaliate in some form of unethical behavior. This downward slide is destructive, leading to the need for a Tampa construction lawyer.

Unethical Practices in the Construction Industry

The construction industry is known to be quite competitive and complex. We would venture to say that most construction professionals have encountered unethical behavior over the course of their career. Unethical practices can occur in different ways and are practiced by different groups at the individual, business, and governmental level. Parties may find themselves dealing with unethical behavior in the following ways:

  • Payment issues: overbilling, not paying parties in a timely manner
  • Bribes and kickbacks: bribing authorities or paying kickbacks to win contracts
  • Unreliable contractors: inconsistent performance under contract (a no show or half-finished projects)
  • Bid shopping: divulging a bidder’s bid to other prospective bidders to secure a lower bid
  • Safety issues: knowingly engaging in unsafe workplace, building, or inspection practices
  • Licensing issues: performing work without proper licensing or falsification of qualifications
  • Construction claims: inflated or fraudulent claims

Other unethical practices include theft, refusing to pay legitimate variation claims, failing to pay proper wages, unfair labor practices, and more.

If you would like to speak with a Tampa construction lawyer, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.