Indian Journal of Medical Ethics Vol X No 4 October-December 2013 [ 238 ] The relationship between ethical climate at work and job satisfaction among nurses in Tehran SOODABEH JOOLAEE 1 , HAMID REZA JALILI 2 , FOROUGH RAFII 3 , FATEMEH HAJIBABAEE 4 , HAMID HAGHANI 5 1 Associate Professor, Centre for Nursing Care Research, Nursing and Midwifery School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN, 2 MS in Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery School, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, IRAN, 3 Associate Professor, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN, 4 PhD student, Nursing and Midwifery School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN, 5 MS (Statistics), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN Corresponding author: Hamid Reza Jalili e-mail: jalilihamidreza@gmail.com Abstract Background: This study aimed to provide an understanding of the relationship between the ethical climate at the workplace and job satisfaction among nurses. Methods: 210 nurses working in selected wards in the Tehran University of Medical Sciences were asked to fill out questionnaires on their work environment and level of job satisfaction. The data collection tools included a questionnaire to obtain demographic data, the Olson moral climate questionnaire and Minnesota job satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 14. Results: We found a significant positive relationship between the ethical climate and the level of job satisfaction among the nurses. Among the demographic variables, the working shift, income level and type of duties allocated had a significant relationship with job satisfaction. Conclusion: Hospital managements should pay attention to the factors influencing job motivation among nurses, including the ethical climate of the work environment. Introduction Organisations are units of the community that both affect the environment and are affected by it. Organisational ethics is a set of principles that promotes similar behaviours among the organisation’s staff, and helps the organisation and staff solve problems caused by conflicts within the system, such as personal tensions and disputes related to job responsibilities (1). Organisational ethics in healthcare is concerned with issues such as resource allocation (2), funding and setting of priorities (3), safeguarding justice and access to care (4), disclosure of risks and complaints of misconduct (5), and workplace ethics and the ethical climate in the health services (6). The organisation’s ethical climate – also referred to here as moral climate – reflects the organisation’s rules and guidelines and their association with ethical consequences (7). It can also be a mediator of moral distress (8,9). Moral distress occurs when a person perceives that the right course of action cannot be implemented because of institutional constraints (10). The ethical climate determines whether decisions are based on ethical criteria, as well as how employees interpret ethical questions (11). Studies have shown that an organisation’s ethical climate affects not only the moral attitudes of the organisation’s employees, but also their work output (12). The ethical climate in healthcare settings is defined as “organizational specific conditions that facilitate the discussion on the patients’ health problems and their solutions, and provide a framework for ethical decision- making in the clinical environment.” Researchers have suggested that the promotion of an ethical climate in the workplace enables employees to better cope with ethical stress and other causes of dissatisfaction, and may increase their level of job satisfaction (8,9). Employees’ job satisfaction has been shown to be reflected in their attitudes towards their work. Those who are satisfied with their work have a positive attitude towards it, while those who are dissatisfied have a negative attitude (13). A positive ethical climate is also associated with high levels of job satisfaction in terms of attitudes to payment, professional progress and colleagues. Researchers have shown that the organisation can affect the employees’ level of job satisfaction by influencing the ethical climate (14). This study aimed to determine the relationship between the ethical climate at work and job satisfaction among nurses in a university hospital in Tehran. Methods Population and sample The study sample consisted of 210 nurses working in the emergency, surgery and internal medicine wards, and the cardiac care units (CCUs) and intensive care units (ICUs) of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All were graduates with either BSc or MSc degrees in nursing. Sampling technique The study used stratified sampling with proportional allocation. The wards were selected according to the number of nurses working there. The sample from each ward was selected randomly (using the lists of nurses working there). Instruments A demographic form, the Olson moral climate questionnaire (15) and the Minnesota job satisfaction questionnaire (16) were