Ethical behavior in public service: Case of Perlis state secretary office

The press and social media in Malaysia frequently criticize the ethical behavior and abuse of authority by civil service employees. Such behavior-influencing aspects must be researched in order to comprehend the ethical conduct of civil service employees. This research aimed to analyse the relationship between ethical leadership, ethical climate and moral judgement with ethical behavior. Perlis State Secretary Office (PSUKPs) as one of the state government agencies was selected as the focus of the present study. This study selected public servants with a grade level of 54 or less. A total of 311 surveys were selected in person and by email to all PSUKPs employees. A total of 200 returned sets were analyzed with SPSS version 26. The investigation revealed that ethical leaders and an ethical atmosphere have a considerable impact on ethical conduct. The study's findings can be used to build the necessary criteria for enhancing the ethical behavior of public servants.