Lesson 2: Examining

Ethics in the Workplace

Lecturer and Facilitator: Reference:
Ma. Lourdes G. Olegario Business and Communication
Process and Product
by: Mary Ellen Guffey
At the end of Lesson 2, you will be able to:

1 2 3 4
analyze ethics in determine the recognize and apply tools for
the workplace goals of ethical avoid ethical doing the right
business traps thing
communicators
• As a business communicator,
you should understand basic
ethical principles so that you can
make logical decisions when
faced with dilemmas in the
workplace.

• Professionals in any field must

deal with moral dilemmas on the
job.

• However, just being a moral

person and having sound
personal ethics may not be
enough to handle the ethical
issues that you may face in the
workplace.
• Group yourselves with
four members each
• Get ¼ paper, write your
names in alphabetical
order
• Select a speaker for the
group
• Discuss what to do when
faced with the following
moral dilemmas
• Present your decision to
the class
 Consider the following ethical
dilemmas:
A. E-mail message: You accidentally
receive a message outlining your
company’s restructuring plan. You see
that your coworker’s job will be
eliminated. He and his wife are about to
purchase a new home. Should you tell
him that his job is in danger?
B. Sales Report: You’re about ready to
sign a big new client to a contract worth
over P500,000. Your boss is under a lot
of pressure to increase sales. He calls
you into his office and tells you his job
is on the line, and he asks you to
include the revenue for your contract in
the sales figures for the quarter that
ends tomorrow. You know the contract
is a sure thing, but the client is out of
town and cannot possibly sign by
tomorrow. What do you do?
C. Work Romance: Company policy
forbids co-workers to become
romantically involved. You go to the
same church as someone from another
department, and you find yourself
becoming attracted to this person. Do
you pursue the relationship?
D. Boss’ Son: One of the newest salespeople in
your division is a real goof-off, never showing
up for work on time, distracting other people
with his antics and so on. You complain about
him to your boss, who tells you the kid is the
son of the company president. Your boss
instructs you not only to leave the new guy
alone but also to make his sales numbers
look good by throwing him some no-brainer
accounts. What do you do?
E. Deadline: You have been
procrastinating on a project and
suddenly deadline day is upon you.
Your manager asks you for the
completed project, but you have nothing
to show him. Will you admit that you just
didn’t get around to it, or will you place
the blame on someone else?
F. Sexual Harassment: You see one of your
close colleagues speaking inappropriately to
another member of staff. This has been going
on for a while, and you’re sure that what you
are seeing is sexual harassment. You know
your colleague’s actions are wrong, but you
don’t want to ruin the friendship you’ve
developed with them over the past few years.
Should you report them to human resources?
G. Not My Job: You got the job you wanted, but
soon after you start with your new company it
becomes obvious that you’re being asked to
do things that weren’t in the job description
you applied for. You’re aware that you’re on
probation, and can be fired with very little
notice, but you also hate what you’re being
asked to do and are not sure if you’ll be able
to cope with what the role now entails.
H. Hostile Boss: You’ve been placed under
someone who’s a very political player and
they have actively turned hostile to you. It’s
obvious that they’re misrepresenting you up
the chain, making it look like you’re not doing
well. It can only be a matter of time before
they successfully poison the impression of
you in the company and eventually force you
out. How can you fight back when they’re the
person you’re supposed to report to?
Goals of Ethical
Business
Communicators
• Taking ethics into consideration
can be painful in the short term.
In the long term, however, ethical
behavior makes sense and pays
off.

• Dealing honestly with colleagues

and customers develops trust and
builds stronger relationships.

• The following guidelines can help

you set specific ethical goals.
Although these goals hardly constitute a formal code
of conduct, they will help you maintain a high ethical
standard.
 1. Abiding by the Law
• Know the laws in your field and follow them.
Particularly important for business communicators are
issues of copyright law.

• Under the concept of fair use, individuals have limited

rights to use copyrighted material without requiring
permission.

• To be safe, you should assume

that anything produced privately
after 1989—including words,
charts, graphs, photos, music—
is copyrighted.
 Understanding Copyright
• When someone creates a product that is viewed as
original and that required significant mental activity to
create, this product becomes intellectual property that
must be protected from unauthorized duplication.

• Examples of unique creations include computer

software, art, poetry, graphic designs, musical lyrics
and compositions, novels, film, original architectural
designs, website content, etc.

• One safeguard that can be used to protect an original

creation is copyright.
 Understanding Copyright
• Not all types of work can be copyrighted.

• A copyright does not protect ideas, discoveries,

concepts, and theories. Brand names, logos, slogans,
domain names, and titles also cannot be protected
under copyright law.

• For an original work to fall under creation, it has to be in

tangible form. This means that any speech, discoveries,
musical scores, or ideas have to be written down in
physical form in order to be protected by copyright.
2. Telling the Truth

• Ethical business
communicators do not
intentionally make
statements that are untrue
or deceptive.

• Being truthful to yourself is

a cornerstone of ethical
behavior.
 3. Labeling Opinions

• Sensitive communicators know the difference

between facts and opinions.

• Facts are verifiable and often are quantifiable;

opinions are beliefs held with confidence but
without substantiation.

• Assertions that cannot be proven are opinions

and stating opinions as if they were facts is
unethical.
 Fact Opinion
• It is a fact that many • It is an opinion that
corporations are consumers are
spending millions of willing to pay more
pesos to be socially for a gram of coffee
responsible if they believe that
the seller used
ethical fair-trade
production
standards.
 4. Being Objective

• Ethical business communicators recognize their

own biases and strive to keep them from
distorting a message.
Suppose you are asked to investigate laptop
computers and write a report recommending a brand
for your office. As you visit stores, you discover that
an old high school friend is selling Brand X. Because
you always liked this individual and have faith in his
judgment, you may be inclined to tilt your
recommendation in his direction.
 5. Communicating Clearly

• Ethical business communicators feel an

obligation to write clearly so that receivers
understand easily and quickly.

• Plain English means short sentences, simple

words, and clear organization.

• Communicators who intentionally obscure the

meaning with long sentences and difficult
words are being unethical.
 7. Using Inclusive Language

• Ethical business communicators use language that

includes rather than excludes.

• They avoid expressions that discriminate against

individuals or groups based on their sex, ethnicity,
disability, race, sexual orientation, or age.

• Language is discriminatory when it stereotypes, insults,

or excludes people.
 8. Giving Credit

• Ethical communicators give credit for ideas by (a)

referring to originators’ names within the text; (b) using
quotation marks; and (c) documenting sources with
endnotes, footnotes, or internal references.

• Don’t suggest that you did all the work on a project if

you had help.

• In school or on the job, stealing ideas, words, graphics,

or any other original material is unethical.
End of Lesson 2