The most common way people justify the US, there are nearly 120 million people who enter the workplace every day. According to common unethical to a recent survey by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center, nearly half of these employees experienced some type of ethical misconduct (ERC) in the past year.

We are not talking about the possibility that the employees knew about the CFO's dishonesty. It is more likely that someone submitted fraudulent common unethical expense reports or lied to a supervisor. The five unethical actions most common ways people justify seen in American workplaces, according to ERC's survey, are listed below.

1. Consumption of working time

Abusing working hours is at the top of the list, whether it's covering for someone who's late or changing your schedule. This includes knowing that a colleague at work is working on personal matters. The study distinguishes between using cold calling to grow your freelance business and contacting your spouse to check on your sick child when talking about "personal matters."

2. Offensive conduct

common ways people justify  Managers and supervisors who treat others poorly or disrespectfully are a problem in too many organizations. Unfortunately, there is often little legal protection against abusive behavior in the workplace unless the case involves race, gender, or ethnicity. For more information, visit Workplace

3. Theft of workers 

According to a recent report by Jack L. Hayes International, in 2012 an employee was caught stealing from their employer in one in every 40 cases. The fact that these employees steal on average 5.5 times more than shoplifters ($715 vs. $129) is even more shocking. Employee fraud is also on the rise, including check fraud, underreporting skimming, and expense reimbursement manipulation. Warning: Employee theft is currently the fastest-growing crime in the United States, according to a recent FBI report.

4. Deceiving  employees' 

Lying to your employees is the fastest way to destroy their trust, yet companies often engage in this practice. One in five employees says their manager or supervisor lied to them.

5. Violation of the Company's Internet Rules

Cyberflackers. Cyberloafers. These phrases are used to describe people who surf the Internet while they should be working. It's a massive, multi-billion-dollar problem for businesses. According to a recent survey by Salary.com, at least 64% of employees visit websites that have nothing to do with their job every day. Who would have thought that regularly monitoring your Facebook profile turned into a moral dilemma?

The good news is that most American workers and employers are acting ethically, according to the ERC study. According to the study, most of us adhere to our organization's ethical standards of behavior and are ready to report misconduct when we witness it (as long as it does not violate the company's Internet usage policy). However, for those of us who monitor ethical behavior in the workplace, there are some troubling themes in the ERC survey. The proportion of workers who faced any retaliation for reporting unethical activity increased from 15% to 22%. Between 68 and 62 percent, fewer people now believe in the moral character of senior leaders. We may be experiencing a decline in the ethical workplace.