303 - Professional Ethics in The Workplace (10 Golden Rules)

10 Golden Rules To Professional Ethics In The Workplace
Published on August 31, 2014
Professionalism is the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or

professional person; it implies quality of workmanship or service. Every organization knows that
being reputable is the difference between success and failure, and the most professional staff is
sought to be kept.
Professionalism is all about success and influence; having a reputation for excellence and being
thought of as someone who exhibits professionalism under any circumstances can open doors for
you either in the workplace or in your personal ambition.
The following are ten golden rules to being professional in service to your organization:
● Always strive for excellence; this is the first rule to achieving greatness in whatever endeavor
you undertake. This is the quality that makes you and your work stand-out. Excellence is a
quality of service which is unusually good and surpasses ordinary standards. It should be made a
habit to make a good impression on your bosses, colleagues, customers, clients, etc.
● Be trustworthy; in today’s society, trust is an issue, and any employee who exhibits
trustworthiness is on a fast track to professionalism. Trustworthiness is about fulfilling an
assigned task in accord with what is expected. It is also being dependable and reliable when
delivering a service. In order to earn the trust of your bosses, colleagues, clients, etc., worth and
integrity must be proven over time.
* Be accountable; to be accountable is to stand tall and account for what actions you have
undertaken. This is about taking responsibility for your actions and their effects/consequences -
good or bad.
● Be courteous and respectful; courteousness is being friendly, polite, and well-mannered with a
gracious consideration towards others. It makes social interactions in the workplace run
smoothly, avoid conflicts, and earn respect. Respect is a positive feeling of esteem or deference
for a person or organization. It is built over time and can be lost with one ‘stupid’ or
inconsiderate action. Continued courteous interactions are required to maintain or increase the
original respect gained.
● Be honest, open, and transparent; honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes positive
and virtuous attributes such as truthfulness, straightforwardness of conduct, loyalty, fairness,
sincerity, openness in communication, and generally operating in a way for others to see what
actions are being performed. This is a virtue highly prized by employers and colleagues, for it
builds trust and increases your personal value to all.
● Be competent and improve continually; competence is the ability of an individual to do a job

properly. It is a combination of knowledge, skills, and behavior used to improve performance.
Competency grows through experience and to the extent one is willing to learn and adapt.
Continuous self development is a pre-requisite in offering professional service at all times.
● Always be ethical; ethical behavior is acting within certain moral codes in accordance with the
generally accepted code of conduct or rules. It is always safe for an employee to “play by the
rules”. This is always the best policy, and in instances the rule book is inadequate, acting with a
clear moral conscience is the right way to go. This may cause friction in some organizations, but
ethical organizations will always stand by the right moral decisions and actions of their
employees.
● Always be honorable and act with integrity; honorable action is behaving in a way that
portrays “nobility of soul or magnanimity, which is derived from virtuous conduct and
personal integrity. This is a concept of “wholeness or completeness” of character in line with
certain values, beliefs, and principles with consistency in action and outcome.
● Be respectful of confidentiality; confidentiality is respecting the set of rules or promise that

restricts you from further and unauthorized dissemination of information. Over the course of
your career, information will be passed on to you in confidence – either from the organization or
from colleagues, and it is important to be true to such confidences. You gain trust and respect of
those confiding in you and also increase your influence within the work environment.
● Set good examples; applying the foregoing rules helps you improve your professionalism
within your workplace, but it is not complete until your knowledge and experience have an
impact on those around. You must show and lead by good example. Being a professional is about
living an exemplary life within and without the organization.
Professionalism is highly valued by every organization today and professionals are hardly out of
work. Apply the ten golden rules of professionalism and enjoy a wonderful, professional career.
DURING READING
While reading, find a synonym or write a definition for the underlined words.
With your partners give concrete examples of:
1) trustworthiness
2) accountability
3) courtesy
4) honesty
5) competence
6) ethics
7) honorability and integrity
8) being respectful of confidentiality
Then, share with the class.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER READING
Discuss these ethics mini-case studies in your group and then share with the class.
1. A coworker is injured on the job. You are a witness and could testify that the company was at
fault. What do you do?
2. For several months now, one of your colleagues has been slacking off, and you are getting
stuck doing the work. You think it is unfair. What do you do?
3. You are the engineer of record on a building project which is behind schedule and urgently
needed by the clients. Your boss wants you to certify some wiring installation as properly
completed even though you know some questionable installation techniques were used.
4. A friend of yours want to transfer to your division but may not be the best qualified for the job
you have open. One other person, whom you do not know, has applied. What do you do?
5. Your company buys large quantities of parts from various suppliers in a very competitive
market sector. As a professional engineer you often get to make critical decisions on which
supplier should be used for which parts. A new supplier is very eager to get to your company’s
business. Not only that, but you find they are very eager to provide you personally with many
benefits – free meals at high-class restaurants and free vacation weekends for supposed business
meetings and demonstrations, and other more confidential things such as expensive gifts that
arrive through the mail, club memberships and so on. What should you do?
6. You are aware that a fellow employee uses drugs at work. Another friend encourages you to
confront the person instead of informing the supervisor. What do you do?
For teachers’ use
Possible answers to the ethics mini-case studies:
1. Don’t get involved.

Contact the injured coworker and offer to appear on her behalf.
Report to the company what you saw to ensure that the safety hazard is corrected.
Protect the company by refusing to appear as a witness for the injured.
2. Recognize this as an opportunity for you to demonstrate how capable you are.
Go to your supervisor and complain about this unfair workload.
Discuss the problem with your colleague in an attempt to solve the problem without
involving others.
Discuss the problem with the human resources department.
3. Should you:
Certify it, and negotiate a raise from your boss as your price for doing so.
Refuse to certify it.
Tell the clients about the problem, saying to them that you will certify it if they want you
to.
Certify it, but keep a close watch on the project in the future in case any problems
develop with it.
4. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Do not accept any of the gifts that go beyond legitimate business entertaining, even if
your company would allow you to accept such gifts.
Report all gifts, etc., to your company and let them decide whether or not you should
accept them.
Accept the gifts without telling your company, because you know that your professional
judgment about the supplier will not be biased by the gifts.
Tell other potential suppliers about the gifts, and ask them to provide you personally with
similar benefits so you won’t be biased in favor of any particular supplier.
6. You speak to the alleged user and encourage him to get help.
You elect to tell your supervisor that you suspect an employee is using drugs on the job.
You confront the alleged user and tell him either to quit using drugs or you will "turn him
in".
Report the matter to employee assistance.

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10 Golden Rules To Professional Ethics In The Workplace

Published on August 31, 2014

Professionalism is the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or

● Be competent and improve continually; competence is the ability of an individual to do a job

● Be respectful of confidentiality; confidentiality is respecting the set of rules or promise that

With your partners give concrete examples of:

Then, share with the class.

For teachers’ use

Possible answers to the ethics mini-case studies:

1. Don’t get involved.

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