Professional Ethics

Professional Ethics Unit 6: Career Development Lesson: CD5

Objectives Lesson Objective: • After completing the lesson on professional ethics, students will demonstrate their ability to apply the concept in real-world situations by obtaining a minimum score of 80% on an Ethical Dilemma. Enabling Objectives: • Define work ethics and identify the effects of unethical behavior in the work place and its affect on job performance and advancement. • Differentiate between ethical and unethical behavior and identify how to determine the written and unwritten rules for the workplace. • Examine the affects of culture on workplace rules and norms.

Key Terms • Work Ethics

Ponder This… • David and Joan work in the office of a large retail grocery store. Their job is to balance the cash registers and account for the money received by the store each day. Part of their job includes accounting for sales by matching cash, checks, and coupons to daily totals. David and Joan work different shifts, but on busy days, their work schedules sometimes overlap.

One day when David was working with Joan, he noticed her reach into her pocket, pull out a stack of manufacturers’ coupons, and add them up on the adding machine. She then put the coupons in one of the cash drawers, took out some money, and put it into her pocket. At first David said nothing, but after a while, he asked Joan what she was doing. Joan explained that she cuts out manufacturers’ coupons out of the newspaper at home and saves them and then exchanges them for cash out of one of the register drawers. She told him that the store is not losing money because it gets its money back from the manufacturers, and she makes an extra five to ten dollars each day without purchasing the products.

David knows that the store does return the coupons to the manufacturers and is reimbursed for the coupons’ value plus a small handling charge. He still thinks what Joan is doing is wrong. • Is Joan’s behavior wrong? • Do you think David should inform the boss? • Who loses in this situation?

Work Ethics • Principles of right conduct as accepted by a profession or by the business world in general • Individual businesses may have formal written codes of ethics that establish certain rules and practices to govern day-to-day operations

The Effects of Unethical Behavior • Kevin often comes to work late. Sometimes he shows up an hour after his shift started. One day he did not come into work at all. He always has an excuse when he does come in.

The Effects of Unethical Behavior • Chris often takes pens and note pads home from the office where she works. She points out that these things really are not very expensive and the business always has plenty on hand to use in the office.

The Effects of Unethical Behavior • Robin often speaks badly of the store where she works to the people she meets. She is very critical of the business and its management whenever it is mentioned.

Ethics and Job Performance/Advancement • Being caught acting unethically can damage a person’s career. • Once a person gains a reputation for acting unethically, regaining trust of others may be difficult or impossible. • Ethical behavior is an essential part of good job performance and creates potential for advancement . • Organization promotes employees who are assets to the organization. • Managers want these employees’ behaviors to spread to others. • Most businesses want managers to have especially high standards of ethics.

Ethical vs. Unethical Behavior • If a business has a written code of ethics or clearly follows unwritten standards of professional conduct, an employee should base his or her behavior on them • If not, an employee should try to determine what is ethical by following certain guidelines – obey laws, enhance self-respect, develop personal integrity, take needs of other people into consideration, build confidence in others

Where’s That Written? • Tom Hanks said in a League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball.” • My mom always said, “Don’t wear white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.” • Give up your seat to an older person. • Keep your voice down in a library. • My baseball coach expected me to know not to bunt in a no hitter. • I just found out, “Everyone contributes $20 towards every baby shower, bridal shower, retirement party, birthday milestone, etc. here at the office.” – This is my first year. I don’t event know these people very well.

Identifying Unwritten Rules • Ponder workplace scenarios • Think about with whom you interact, with whom you work regularly, those in management and supervisory positions, etc. • Think about specific coworkers vs. yourself in identifying rules regarding things like days off, break time, interactions, etc. • Ask yourself, “Are there dos and don’ts everyone seems to act upon?” • If so, how did you learn these? Did you see others modeling and you follow? Did someone clue you in? • Share unwritten rules with the unknowing!

Think about the work you do for your Supervised Agricultural Experience Program, particularly if you work in a placement enterprise. What are some unwritten rules by which you abide ?

Conclusion • Ethical choices are not always simple to make. Members of business organizations must act ethically, however. Unethical behavior can ruin a career while a reputation for ethical conduct helps create opportunities for advancement. Unethical actions can also damage a business itself if they become known or are suspected by the public. Ethical behavior is simply good for business. • Employees need to work to identify written and unwritten rules of the workplace. • In addition, cultural norms must be considered when working in team situations.

Review • Identify unwritten rules at school, in individual classrooms, on CDE teams, in sports, etc. • How did you discover this rule? • Does everyone know about it? • What effect does it have on others in the school/classroom/team/etc.?

Exit Card • What did you learn today about professional ethics? • What questions do you still have about professional ethics?

Professional Ethics