Code of Ethics

The Need of Every Organization

Instructor’s Manual
Definition of Ethics:

The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession

Code of ethics:

It is a set of rules of conduct and behavior a person or a company chooses to adopt and
follow in their daily life. Setting these rules the person or organization is obliged to follow its
constituents to maintain smooth respectable communication among individuals.

From here we could say that a code is a set of rules which are accepted as general principles,
or a set of written rules which state how people in a particular organization should behave.

This code usually include the following:

Personal conduct
The way each individual within a particular organization behaves and deals with others with
respect to all moral and professional aspects.

Equal Treatment
Is the process of treating everyone professionally and with respect without using any
offensive actions or abuse of power, sustaining a safe work environment.

Respect
The sense of feeling or showing admiration to others within the same organization reflecting
their or their work’s quality.

Self-direction
The ability to monitor your behavior and actions so that not to affect others negatively, as well
as the ability of self coaching in different situations.

Personal commitment
To always be committed and accept responsibility towards what you do in the organization
and towards the organization as a whole.

Objectivity
Maintaining a goal to achieve based on true facts, which in turn reflects a positive image of
the individual and the organization.

Ethical practice as the example

It’s the representation of ethical behavior seen and felt by others inside and outside the
organization therefore setting an example of the individual/organization to the surrounding
population.

The “art” of negotiating in good faith

The ability to demonstrate and propose ideas to others with the intention of providing valuable
benefit highlighted within the negotiation itself, putting the recipient’s interest up front not the
other way round.

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Accountability
The state of being responsible for all your actions and have satisfactory reasons for them.

Constructive Dialogue
It is a two way communication that intends to build up positively towards a common goal,
and/or a communication intending to motivate and encourage better progressing.

Professional representation
The presentable image reflected by an individual or a team when representing an
organization, showing the sense of professionalism through their actions, behavior and
presence.

Personal Critical Reflection

The ability to determine your mistakes and to advise others how to avoid or solve them,
maintaining credibility in your relationships.

Evaluation & Feedback

Evaluate yourself and your actions before evaluating others, therefore creating a good
foundation of knowledge through which could provide positive feedback to others.

Values, Morals and Resolutions

Values: The beliefs people have about was is right and wrong and what is most important in
life which control their behaviors.
Morals: The standards for good or bad character and behavior.
Resolutions: Clearness of thought and expression

The live document

The written form of the code of ethics, which expresses in points the rules an organization
foresees to be the image of the organization and all its members. Whereas, these points are
considered to be the key elements of communication among organization members and with
others.

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Examples of statements commonly included in the Code of Ethics:

Conflict of Interest: (Employment)

A conflict of interest in employment may arise when:

1. An employee has the responsibility to make, or participate actively in making, decisions

or recommendations relating to the employment status of another employee "decision-
making responsibility".

Or

2. There is a direct reporting line between these two employees.

Given 1) or 2) above,

A conflict of interest in employment arises whenever the two individuals have a current or
former relationship occurring outside the work setting that would make it difficult for the
individual with the decision-making responsibility to be objective.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

Relationships by blood, adoption, marriage, or domestic partnership: partner, parent, child,

sibling, first cousin, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, spouse, brother- or sister-in-law, father- or
mother-in-law, son- or daughter-in-law, step-parent, or step-child; or other

For purposes of these rules, decisions or recommendations related to employment status

include those related to hiring, salary, working conditions, working responsibilities, evaluation,
promotion, and termination.

For purposes of these rules, the phrase "first neutral supervisor" means the person (usually
the director, departmental executive officer, divisional head, dean of the college, or vice
president in charge of the department, or unit) immediately superior to the one of the two
related individuals who, if there were no conflict of interest, would have decision-making
responsibility relating to the employment status of the other related individual.

Confidentiality

An act or documentation done or communicated in confidence (secret). As part of the Code of

Ethics confidentiality is an asset to those occupying an employment position in an
organization where as every item, tool, document, information or any organization related
material is considered confidential, and is not to be disclosed to any other party outside of the
organization unless provided with the appropriate authority to do so.

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Protection & Proper Use of Company Assets

An asset is a useful or valuable quality person or thing: an advantage or resource. This asset
is considered a part of the organization that all its employees share and protect at the same
time. Therefore its essential to keep these assets intact and maintained at all times. Misusing
such assets may lead to great loss for the organization and its members. Part of the Code of
Ethics is designed in accordance to these assets in order to preserve and control their use so
not to be destroyed or abused.

Competition & Fair Dealing

Competition is the act of competing internally or externally. Where internally is between

departments, maintaining fairness and honesty, the same is done externally with respect to
the market segment the organization occupies.

"Fair dealing" means the right granted by copyright laws to reproduce limited portions of
copyrighted works without infringing the legitimate interest of the authors or copyright owners.
This right exists in the UK and other regions whose copyright ordinances are derived from the
UK (such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong). In the US, the term "fair use"
is adopted.

Compliance with Laws, Rules & regulations

Every organization is obliged to follow country laws according to its location. Rules and
regulations within these laws are essential to maintain processes these laws were set upon.
Each individual organization has as well its own set of rules and regulations that controls its
internal process and administration. Employees abide to these rules and regulations to
maintain the organizational policies and therefore achieve its goals.

Theft and Embezzlement

Considered a major moral violation to any organization, where such actions abuse its
resources and therefore disrupts growing processes along with distorting its moral
environment. Strictness in maintaining moral values that directly impacts the work
atmosphere is essential along with continual motivation. Such actions are strongly dealt with
through termination, in turn the organization may still lose a valuable human resource.

Falsification of Records

Claiming that matters have been accomplished while they’re not, also reporting either
documented or non documented information as accurate while they’re not or inaccurate. Here
the provided information may be built upon. In theses cases due to false information provided
the organization may build up a strategy or future projections that would definitely cause an
organizational disaster.

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Working under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs

Alcohol or illegal drugs are majorly forbidden by law especially the latter. Inducing such
substances or materials causes an undesirable effect on the drug or alcohol user therefore is
incapable of performing the assigned work duties and the inability of addressing others
properly. Due to the side effects of using such substances which may include tendency to
violence or inappropriate speech, worldwide organizations made it clear in their codes of
ethics that it is forbidden, whereas if discovered that an employee attends the work place
under the effect of alcohol or illegal drugs or even has them in personal possession, may lead
to direct suspension and even termination in some case if not all.

Harassment or unlawful discrimination

Definition of Unlawful Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

 Unlawful Discrimination
Differential treatment based upon race, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion,
ethnic or national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status that
affects the terms or conditions of employment constitute unlawful discrimination. As a
matter of policy, the organization strictly prohibits, and will not tolerate, unlawful
discrimination.

 Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, and is illegal under domestic and
international laws. The organization will not tolerate sexual harassment, or any form of
harassing behavior. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
physical or verbal conduct of a similar nature result in sexual harassment when:

Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's
job, performance, efficiency, or participation in organizational programs or activities, or
of creating an intimidating, hostile, workplace environment.

 Retaliation
Retaliation is a form of unlawful discrimination that affects terms and/or conditions of
employment. Retaliation consists of unfavorable job actions by an employer against an
employee, including termination of employment.

 Conduct That May Constitute Harassment

The term Harassment does not refer to words or actions of a welcome nature, but
rather, to behavior that is not welcome. This type of behavior can occur in a variety of
situations that share a common element: the inappropriate introduction of actions or
comments into the workplace environment. Harassing conduct does not have to be
motivated by personal desire in order to constitute unlawful harassment.

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Violation of safety or health rules

Introducing substances or behavior that may result in hazardous conditions that may result in
threatening the safety or health of the workplace environment. Such items may include
weapons & side arms, drugs, harmful gaseous substances, chemicals, etc…

Fighting or threatening violence

Actions of physical behavior that result in threatening, harassing or undermining workplace

companions is considered an act of violence along with a form of unlawful harassment. Such
actions are forbidden in any organization due to its effect on reducing the sense of safety
within workplace environments.

Insubordination: repeated refusal to follow a supervisor’s instructions

The refusal to follow orders or to execute assigned tasks set by the organization, department
or direct superior. Such actions are forbidden within a workplace environment. Usually is
followed by an administrational investigation to identify the reasons that resulted in such
insubordination. In some cases it be due to verbal abuse, insults, jokes or comments.

Excessive absenteeism or tardiness

This is an action that is not allowed according to policy in all business organization because it
forms one of the basic image assets of any professional organization. Tardiness or absence
may be due to personal conditions away from the business environment itself and may
sometimes be due to lack of accessibility to the workplace location. As per the organization
the remoteness or difficulty of access is not an issue as much as it is to the employee to be
not capable to adapt to the corporate fit. In some cases an investigation is conducted to
identify the results behind tardiness or absence when the employee holds a critical position.

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