Discussion Thread: Ethics in the Workplace
Discussion
Review Ethical Requirements on the Job.
Which of the eight ethical requirements do you think is most important and why?
What are some consequences of not following this ethical requirement?
Cite an example using a scholarly source, such as an article from a scholarly journal, newspaper article, magazine article, or book. Make connections with a Christian worldview.
You will need to include two scholarly sources for research and support. One source may be from the Bible. The other source must be an article from a scholarly journal, newspaper article, magazine article, or book.
Ethical Requirements on the Job
In the workplace, you will be expected to meet the highest ethical standards by fulfilling the following eight requirements:
Be professionally competent. Know your job. Your company will expect you to be well prepared through your education, internships, experience, in-house training, continuing education units (CEUs), professional conferences, discussions with co-workers, and reading. You need to use equipment safely and efficiently, produce high-quality products, deliver up-to-date and accurate service, and represent your company as a knowledgeable professional. Adhere to your profession’s code or standard of ethics, internal audits, licenses, and certificate requirements.
Be honest. Never misrepresent yourself on a résumé, at an interview, or on a networking site such as LinkedIn (see Figure 7.2), by lying about your background, inflating a job title, or exaggerating your responsibilities at a previous job. The résumé and your portfolio/webfolio (see “Career Portfolio/Webfolio”) are two places where you must make ethical decisions about your qualifications for a job. At work, honesty is equally crucial. You need to acknowledge and correct all mistakes and make sure you submit complete, accurate, and truthful reports. Never falsify a document by padding an expense account, covering up a problem, taking a company vehicle or computer or smartphone for personal use, or wrongly accusing a co-worker. Inventing or falsifying information is fraud (the government website stopfraud.gov is dedicated to uncovering such false claims). In your dealings with customers, honor all guaranties and warranties and respond to customer requests promptly and fairly. Refuse to use language that makes false claims or tries to deceive readers with ambiguous words, jargon, or misleading statistics and visuals (see “Writing Ethically on the Job” and “Using Visuals Ethically”). It would be neglectful and dishonest to allow an unsafe product to stay on the market just to spare your company the expense and embarrassment of a product recall.
Maintain confidentiality. You violate your employer’s trust by telling others about your company’s sensitive or confidential research, financial business, marketing strategies, sales records, personnel decisions, customer interactions, or by not properly disposing of company documents (via shredding or other secure and environmentally safe methods). Always keep in mind that nothing is confidential when posted on a social media site, so be careful. In fact, your employer may rightfully insist that you sign a binding confidentiality agreement when you are hired. You also must respect an individual’s right to privacy. For example, according to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines, health care professionals are not allowed to share a patient’s records with unauthorized individuals.
Be loyal. Follow your company’s policies and procedures. Be faithful to its goals, mission, and image. Your employer has every right to expect you to be a team player striving for the good of the company; its products, service, and image; your department; and your co-workers. Cooperate fully, fairly, and on a timely basis with your collaborative team (see “Collaboration is Crucial to the Writing Process”, and “Ten Proven Ways to Be a Valuable Team Player”). Working secretly for a competitor or doing outside work that interferes with your normal duties is a clear conflict of interest (for instance, running a consulting business during office hours). Also, criticizing a boss, product, service, or event, or engaging in malicious gossip at work are examples of disloyalty that companies will not tolerate.
Follow the chain of command. You need to know and follow your company’s or department’s chain of command—for example, whom you report to, who gets copies of your written work and who does not, how work is to be submitted and routed, and whom you need to go to with problems. Always direct your correspondence to the appropriate person(s) in the company. Be careful not to speak on behalf of or about your company on social media or in interviews without first securing permission. To help you identify the proper chain of command at work, find or construct an organizational chart (see “Organizational Charts”).
Respect your employer, co-workers, customers, and suppliers. Avoid intimidation, bullying (see “Cyberbullying”), spreading rumors, discrimination, defamation, or any other unfair, unprofessional action that would harm someone or tarnish his or her reputation. It is unethical and illegal to use language that excludes others on the basis of gender, race, national origin, religion, age, physical ability, or sexual orientation (see “Editing Guidelines to Eliminate Sexist Language”). Never use racial slurs or obscene language.
Research and document your work carefully. Your boss will expect you to provide the hard evidence he or she needs. Study codes, specifications, agency handbooks, and websites. Keep up to date with professional literature found in trade journals, websites, and manuals in your field, confer with experts in your company, interview clients, make a site visit, conduct a survey, and so on. (See “Two Types of Research: Primary and Secondary”, for a description of the different types of research you will be expected to do on the job.) You are also ethically obligated to admit when you did not do the work by yourself. Respect all copyright obligations and privileges. Always give credit to your sources—whether print or Web sources or individuals whose discussions contributed to your work. Just because something is on the Internet or on social media does not mean you can paraphrase, copy, or republish it without crediting the source. Not documenting your sources makes you guilty of plagiarism (see “Documenting Sources”).
Maintain accurate and current records. Remember, “If it isn’t written, it didn’t happen.” You have a responsibility to your employer to prepare and store documents, keep backup files, and submit your work by the deadline. Disregarding a deadline or not doing your due diligence (professional competence and due care) when appraising a business situation or assessing a legal requirement could jeopardize your group’s effort or prevent your company from making an important sale, receiving a key permit, or getting a license or a government contract. Comply with all local, state, and federal regulations, especially those ensuring a safe, healthy work environment, products, and/or services, for example, following the Department of Labor guidelines for the number of hours an employee can work in a given day or week.