Investigation of occupational work ethics perceptions of construction professionals working in the public and private sector

Ethics is a set of values and principles that theoretically help individuals determine how to behave in order to ensure that an action is moral. Without these values and principles, individuals' perspectives on events, as well as their attitudes and behaviors in response to developing events, can lead to negative situations. Recently, ethical values and principles have gained increasing importance, playing a vital role particularly in the construction sector. In Türkiye, a country located in an earthquake-prone region and constantly exposed to earthquakes, the awareness and consciousness brought by the 1999 Düzce and Yalova earthquakes, as well as the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake which caused major disasters in many cities, have once again highlighted the importance of the construction sector and the necessity of producing earthquake-resistant structures. This situation has demonstrated the significant role of ethics in construction practices. In this study, the perceptions of civil engineers and architects working in the public and private sectors in Türkiye regarding professional work ethics were investigated. For this purpose, a web-based questionnaire was designed using the Occupational Work Ethics Inventory (OWEI) and demographic questions. The survey was distributed to participants through their chamber, and a total of 1543 responses were obtained. The responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, hypothesis testing, and statistical methods to determine the participants' perceptions of professional ethics. The research concluded that there is no difference in the perceptions of professional work ethics between civil engineers and architects, but there is a partial difference in terms of working in the public or private sector. Additionally, no differences were found in participants' ethical perceptions based on their educational status and age; however, there were partial differences based on their professional experience, job positions, and work areas. This study contributes to the literature by revealing the differences in the perceptions of professional work ethics among architects and civil engineers. Given the inadequacy of studies on ethics in the construction industry, it is recommended that new research be conducted to increase the awareness of all stakeholders in the sector on various ethical issues, such as business ethics, engineering ethics and professional ethics.