OFFICE PROCEDURES

Prepared by Maria Asuncion

3 of 14
Chapter 3: Working Ethically
•  Ethics: systematic study of moral conduct, duty
and judgment
•  Ethics can be seen as guidelines or accepted
beliefs about what is right or wrong, good or bad
•  This is similar to wisdom, which ties in the idea of
morality: a set of ideas of right and wrong
•  And moral integrity: consistently adhering to a set
of ideas or right and wrong
Ethical organizations (p. 47)
•  Several characteristics distinguish ethical
organizations:
•  Honest
•  Visionary
•  Environmentally responsible
•  Socially responsible
•  Being committed to diversity
•  Being committed to intolerance of discrimination
•  Providing safe and health environment for workers
•  Offering fair and equitable pay
•  Respecting the law
What is equitable?
Example of business ethics
•  On page 47, Figure 3-1, we see Sun Life Financial’s
advice to their employees in order for them to stay
ethical
•  Ask yourself the following questions:
•  Is this legal?
•  Is this permissible under our policies?
•  Is this fair and ethical?
•  Am I confident that Sun Life would not be
embarrassed if this situation became public
knowledge?
•  Would I approve of this situation if I were a co-
worker, a customer or shareholder?
Socially and environmentally responsible
•  Social responsibility: the obligation of a business
to contribute to the greater good of the community
•  Businesses have a legal and ethical obligation not
to harm people in their community
•  This obligation or commitment includes properly
disposing of harmful wastes and using pollution
controls for factories
Socially and environmentally responsible
•  Other obligations include:
•  Employee health and safety
•  Sponsorship of charities and volunteer
programs
•  And other employee issues and needs
•  e.g., after 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina (2005)
and the tsunami that hit Japan (2011),
corporations all over the world sent millions of
dollars to help people in need
Socially and environmentally responsible
•  Ethical organizations work to preserve the
environment for the future
•  They will implement programs to recycle paper,
plastics, electronics and other items
•  They adopt alternative energy sources, such as
solar, wind, or methane, and may use hybrid,
electric vehicles when traveling
Being committed to diversity
•  Companies prefer having a diverse workforce
•  Diversity, as we have learned from Business
Communications and from Chapter 1 of this book,
benefits companies
•  It helps companies meet the needs of their global
customers
•  And specifically in Canada, a diverse working
team accommodates the increasingly diverse
Canadian population
Being committed to diversity
•  Ethical organizations make their hiring decisions

based on merit (quality and earned worthiness)

and are committed to provide equal employment

•  Companies that are ethical also provide diversity

training to support and ensure diversity

Discrimination (p. 47-48)
•  Prejudice: a system of negative beliefs, feelings
and actions
•  Discrimination: treatment or consideration based
on class or category rather than individual merit
•  Racial/ethnic
•  Gender
•  Age
•  Let’s read page 48, Figures 3-2 and 3-3
Harassment (p. 49)
•  Sexual harassment: any conduct, comment,

gesture or contact of a sexual nature that is likely

to cause offence or humiliation or that might, on
reasonable grounds, be perceived as placing a
condition of a sexual nature on employment or on
any opportunity for training or promotion
Harassment (p. 49)
•  3 criteria can be used to determine whether

sexual harassment exists:

1.  Submission to sexual conduct is either implicitly

or explicitly a condition of employment

2.  Employment decisions affecting the recipient

are made on the basis of the recipient’s

acceptance or rejection of sexual conduct
Harassment (p. 49)
3. The conduct has the intent or effect of
substantially interfering with an individual’s work
performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or
offensive work environment.
Policies against harassment
•  Division XV.1 of Part III of the Canada Labour

Code claims that organizations are responsible in

“[making] every reasonable effort to ensure that
no employee is subjected to sexual harassment”

•  Supervisors can help maintain the workplace free

of any types of harassments by…

Policies against harassment
•  Applying and promoting high standards of

integrity, conduct, and concern for all employees

•  Leading by example

•  Ensuring employment decision are based on

merit

•  Educating employees as to the activity that

constitutes sexual harassment

•  Ensuring that employees who feel they are

victims of harassment are aware of the options

available to them in addressing these issues

•  Identifying a person that employees can contact

confidentially with any concerns and complaints

•  Investigating every complaint promptly and

thoroughly

•  Observing the language and behaviour of other

supervisors
Differently-abled persons (p. 49)
•  Instead of “handicap”, the more politically correct
term is “differently abled” or a person WITH
impairments
•  An ethical organization:
•  Provides access to all facilities for people who
have physical challenges
•  Provides the proper equipment, workspace, and
training and development
•  Ensures that initial employment practices do not
discriminate against people who have physical
challenges
Differently-abled persons (p. 49)
•  Organizations have a “duty to accommodate”

which requires them to put every effort in making

sure they provide employees with disabilities with
proper tools and workspace in order to be
productive
Involvement in the community (p. 50)
•  Ethical organizations also recognize the needs of
their communities by
•  Providing tutors for elementary and high-school
students
•  Engaging in mentoring programs for troubled youth
•  Providing intern experiences for students
•  Serve on community boards and commissions
•  Participate in the local chamber of commerce
•  Contribute to community charities
•  Provide leadership to solicit funds for causes
•  Assist with arts and other programs
Respect to employees
•  Let’s take a look at how organizations can meet
the needs of their employees (p. 50, Figure 3-4)
•  There are also rights
•  Rights to due process
•  Employment at will: the doctrine that allows
employees to be fired for good cause)
•  Due process: managers impost sanctions on
employees only after offering them a chance to
correct the organizational grievance
•  Right to organize (work unions)
•  Right to privacy
Adherence to workplace standards
•  We can read about employment standards legislation on
page 52, Figure 3-5
•  Minimum wages
•  Hours of work
•  Overtime
•  Public holidays
•  Vacation pay
•  Maternity leave
•  Parental leave
•  Compassionate care leave
•  Equal pay for equal work
•  Benefit plans
Safe and healthy workplace
•  Occupational Safety & Health Administration in
the US and the Canadian Centre for Occupational
Health and Safety are dedicated in promoting
“due diligence”
•  Due diligence means an employer will take all
reasonable precautions to prevent injuries or
accidents in the workplace
•  Due diligence: level of judgment, care, prudence,
determination and activity which a person would
reasonably be expected to exercise under
particular circumstances
Self-Check A: page 54 at the top
•  Name at least 6 characteristics that an ethical
organization should have
Making ethical decisions (p. 56)
•  Our own ethics are influenced by the following:
•  Our religious/spiritual beliefs
•  Our philosophical beliefs
•  The culture in which you grew up or are familiar
with
Making ethical decisions (p. 56)
•  To decide if you’re being ethical, you can ask
yourself these questions:
•  What are the facts in the situation?
•  Who are the stakeholders, or who will be
affected by my decision?
•  What are the ethical issues involved?
•  Are there different ways of looking at this
problem?
•  What are the practical constraints?
•  What actions should I take?
•  Are these actions practical?
Making ethical decisions (p. 56)
•  Other questions that will really make you think
about ethical decisions are:
•  If my actions appeared in the newspaper, would
I feel all right about everyone reading about
what occurred?
•  Is what I anticipate doing legal?
•  Could I proudly tell my spouse, my parents, or
my children about my actions?
•  Will I be proud of my actions one day, one
week, and one year from now?
•  Do my actions fit with who I think I am?
Dependability – Self-Check B (p. 56)
•  How dependable are you when it comes to being
professional at least?
•  According to page 60, the most appropriate
answers are:
1.  Always
2.  Always
3.  Never
4.  Always
5.  Never
6.  Always
Computer ethics (Ch. 4, p. 70)
•  Computers have made some people’s behaviours
unethical or questionable (spamming, scamming,
etc.)
•  Just as we need to focus on being ethical at work, we
should also be ethical when use the computer
•  It is important not to illegally download copyrighted
work and programs, or gain entry into someone else’s
computer and copy or take their property (theft)
Working ethically
•  Working ethically also means not taking credit for
work that is not one’s own
•  When someone takes credit for another person’s
works or ideas, it is known as plagiarism
•  If you feel like you have no options left but to copy
someone else’s work, try to use direct quotations
or paraphrases and references of the source
•  For example: Most of the information we review
on the lecture slides are from the textbook
Critical thinking activity (p. 61)
•  Read the activity

•  Martin Albertson, your supervisor, is charging

his alcoholic beverages to the company
•  Answer the questions

•  Send the completed written work to

mariakasuncion@gmail.com or drag your
document into your ePortfolio Google Drive