WORK ETHICS

+CARE
( C H A R A C T E R A N D C I T I Z E N S H I P )
ETHICS & ETIQUETTE
• A set of principles of right conduct.
• A theory or a system of moral values.
Ethic/s • The rules or standards governing the
conduct of a person or the members
of a profession

• The practices and forms prescribed by

social convention or by authority.
Etiquette • The codes governing correct behavior.
Forms of conduct as prescribed in
polite society.
 "VIRTUE IS
KNOWLEDGE"
M E N O 8 7 C - P L AT O V I A S O C R AT E S
ETHICS ETIQUETTE
to think ethically means to use proper etiquette
to direct your thoughts means you are familiar
toward compliance with with the current
the rules, the acceptable social codes of
contributions you can behavior in a particular
make, and the harmful country, culture, and
consequences to avoid. society.
KNOWLEDGE PRACTICE
ETIQUETTE IS THE
EXTERNAL
MANIFESTATION OF
ONE’S ETHICS
DECISIONS
IN AND OUT OF THE
WORKPLACE
I M P O R TA N C E O F TA K I N G T O A C C O U N T
ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE
“TO DO THE RIGHT
THING BEGINS
WITH THINKING
RIGHTLY…”
RO B E RT S O L O M O N A N D K R I S T I N E H A N S O N I N
THEIR BOOK, IT’S GOOD BUSINESS (1985,
A N T H E N E U M , N E W YO R K ) .
 EXERCISE…

S AY “ O P O ” I F I T ’ S A
HUMAN ACT OR MAKE AN
ANIMAL SOUND IF IT’S
AN ACT OF MAN
 REN/ JEN
P E R F E C T I O N = P E R S O N + T WO
1. CONSIDER THE
WELL-BEING OF
OTHERS,
INCLUDING NON-
PA R T I C I PA N T S .
A LT H O U G H I T I S G O O D T O F O L L O W B O T H T H E
G O L D E N R U L E A N D N E W P L AT I N U M R U L E * , I T I S
E Q U A L LY I M P O R TA N T N O T T O S A C R I F I C E Y O U R
O W N B E L I E F S . A LWAY S C O N T R I B U T E T O T H E
G E N E R A L G O O D A N D AV O I D C O N S E Q U E N C E S T H AT
W I L L H U R T O T H E R S . [ P L AT I N U M R U L E : “ D O U N T O
O T H E R S A S T H E Y W O U L D L I K E T O B E T R E AT E D .” ]
 HUMAN-
BENEVOLENCE
V I RT U E N E E D E D
2 . O B E Y, B U T D O
NOT DEPEND
S O L E LY O N , T H E
L AW.
E T H I C A L T H I N K I N G G O E S B E YO N D B E I N G A
L A W F U L P E R S O N . A C T I O N S T H AT A R E N O T
I L L E G A L , S U C H A S TA K I N G A D V A N TA G E O F
S O M E O N E ’ S T R U S T, A R E S T I L L U N E T H I C A L .
RIGHTEOUSNESS
V I RT U E N E E D E D
3. ACT AS A
MEMBER OF THE
BUSINESS
C O M M U N I T Y.
S TA N D A R D S , R U L E S O F P R O P R I E T Y, A N D F A I R N E S S
E N A B L E BU S I N E S S E S TO P RO S P E R . P R AC T I C E S
S U C H A S R E S P E C T I N G C O N T R AC T S , E M P L OY E E S ,
A N D OT H E R S ; PAY I N G D E B T S A N D OT H E R
O B L I G AT I O N S ; A N D S E L L I N G L E G I T I M AT E
P R O D U C T S AT A J U S T A N D F A I R P R I C E A R E T H E
F U N D A M E N TA L P R I N C I P L E S O F A N E T H I C A L
BUSINESS.
PROPRIET Y

V I RT U E N E E D E D
4.SERVE
SOCIET Y
A BUSINESS THRIVES W HEN IT SERVES ITS
C U S T O M E R S , C O M M U N I T Y, A N D S O C I E T Y A T-
L A R G E . W H AT E V E R L E V E L O F B U S I N E S S I N W H I C H
Y O U W O R K - - - A N D T H E L A R G E R Y O U R C O M PA N Y- - -
B E I N G I N V O LV E D I N Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y I S T H E
R I G H T T H I N G TO D O.
SERVICE

V I RT U E N E E D E D
5. FOLLOW
YOUR MORALS.
MORALS AND CONCERNS WITH THE JUDGMENT OF THE
GOODNESS OR BADNESS OF HUMAN ACTION AND
CHARACTER ARE THE FOUNDATION OF ETHICS, ALONG
WITH CONSIDERING THE WELL-BEING OF OTHERS.
GERMAN PHILOSOPHER IMMANUEL KANT CALLED MORALS
“CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVES.” THEY ARE THE
“UNQUALIFIED COMMANDS” WITHOUT EXCEPTION, EVEN
FOR BUSY EXECUTIVES ON THE BRINK OF A PROFITABLE
DEAL.
 INTEGRIT Y
HONEST Y
TRUST WORTHINESS
V I RT U E S N E E D E D
6. THINK
OBJECTIVELY.
T O D E T E R M I N E W H E T H E R A N A C T I O N I S T R U LY
R I G H T, A N D N O T J U S T A R AT I O N A L I Z AT I O N O F
S E L F - I N T E R E S T, I T I S E S S E N T I A L T O T H I N K F R O M
A NEUTRAL PERSPECTIVE AND WITHOUT
P E R S O N A L B E N E F I T.
 WISDOM
PRUDENCE
INITIATIVE
V I RT U E S N E E D E D
 7. HAVE
CHARACTER.
BEFORE YOU SIGN CONTRACTS AND CUT DEALS, ASK,
“WHAT SORT OF PERSON WOULD DO SUCH A THING?”
ETHICS IS DERIVED FROM THE GREEK WORD ETHOS,
MEANING “CHARACTER.” ETHICS IS NOT SO MUCH
OBEDIENCE TO RULES AS IT IS THE UPKEEP OF YOUR
PERSONAL AND COMPANY CHARACTER, SPECIFICALLY
YOUR “GOOD NAME.” PETER DRUCKER SUMMARIZES
BUSINESS ETHICS AS “BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT YOUR
FACE IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNING.”
 PIET Y
LOYALT Y
PATIENCE
V I RT U E S N E E D E D
8. RESPECT
OTHER CUSTOMS,
B U T N O T AT T H E
EXPENSE OF YOUR
O W N ET H I C S .
T H E H A R D E S T E T H I C A L D E C I S I O N S A R E N OT
T Y P I C A L LY A C O N F L I C T B E T W E E N E T H I C S A N D
PROFITS, BUT ONE BETWEEN TWO ETHICAL
S Y S T E M S . S U R E , “ W H E N I N R O M E . . .” I S A G O O D
G U I D E L I N E I N M O S T I N S TA N C E S , B U T W H E N A
C U S T O M V I O L AT E S Y O U R M O R A L S , I T I S B E S T T O
S T I C K T O W H AT Y O U K N O W.
HARMONY

V I RT U E N E E D E D
 8. Respect other
customs but not 2. Obey, but do
at the expense of not depend solely
your own ethics on, the law.

3. Act as a member
7. Have Character 1. Consider of the business
the well being community
of OTHERS

6. Think
4. Serve Society
Objectively

5. Follow your
Morals
WHEN IN DOUBT
ETHICAL DILLEMAS
 ETHICAL DILEMMA
– A S I T U AT I O N T H AT, A LT H O U G H
OFFERING POTENTIAL
BENEFITS, IS UNETHICAL.

– ONE OF THE MOST COMMON

ETHICAL DILEMMAS OCCURS
W H E N A C O M PA N Y ’ S C U LT U R E
CONFLICTS WITH AN
EMPLOYEE’S PERSONAL ETHICS.
CHECKLIST FOR DEALING WITH ETHICAL DILEMMAS
• Recognize the ethical dilemma.
• Get the facts.
Step 1

• Identify your options.

• Test each option: Is it legal? Is it right? Is it beneficial?
Step 2
• Decide which option to follow.
• Ask the “Spotlight Questions”: To double check your decision.- “How would I
feel if my family found out about my decision?”/“How would I feel if the local
Step 3 newspaper printed my decision?”

• Take Action
• Evaluate Consequence/s (Back to Step 1 if it caused another ethical
Step 4 dilemma)
 QUIZ:
HOW GOOD IS YOUR
PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE?
Professional etiquette is
important. If you want to
create a positive, lasting
impression, you need to
know what to say and
how to act.
1.Your email address looks
more like:
(a) Juan@JuanDelaCruz.com
(b) Juan.DelaCruz@gmail.com
(c) MrJuany86@hotmail.com
2.You need to list references for a job.
You:
(a) Call each person you plan
to use and ask permission before listing
them.
(b) Send each person a brief email
giving them the heads up.
(c) List them without contacting them.
3. When you’re introduced to a
client, you:
(a) Greet them with a big
smile and firm handshake,
then introduce yourself.
(b) Smile, say hi, and give
them a wave.
(c) Give them a nod then
walk away.
4. What’s more likely to show up on
your Twitter feed:
(a) A valuable article or study
you felt was worth sharing with
your network.
(b) An inspirational quote.
(c) A drunken picture of you
from last weekend’s
shenanigans.
5. After a job interview, you:
(a) Send a thank you note
right away.
(b) Send a thank you note a
couple of days later.
(c) Don’t send a thank you
note.
6. During conversations at networking
events, you:
(a) Look people in the eye, listen closely,
and ask genuine questions.
(b) Tend to monopolize conversations,
but catch yourself most of the time.
(c) Half listen to people and constantly
look around for someone more
interesting to talk to
7. During meetings, you:
(a) Pay attention closely, ask
questions, and take notes.
(b) Listen, but only speak up
when you’re called on.
(c) Text the entire time.
8.Your emails are generally:
(a) Brief and to the point, but
well-written.
(b) Long and vague.
(c) Riddled with both spelling
and grammatical errors.
9. When you get a personal phone call in
a meeting, you:
(a) Ignore it and call them
back later.
(b) Excuse yourself and take
it outside briefly.
(c) Answer and have a
loud conversation.
10. When you need help from a co-
worker, you:
(a) Send a message asking if
he/she has a minute to go over
a few things.
(b) Walk over to his/her desk
and ask for help.
(c) Expect him/her to drop
everything and help you.
 MOSTLY A’s MOSTLY B’s MOSTLY C’s

You’re an expert at You’re etiquette skills are HOY!

professional etiquette. average.
Your etiquette skills need
You know exactly what to You know the basics and work.
do when it comes to you try your best to be
etiquette in the workplace. polite. No thank you notes?
Texting during meetings?
You always say please and However, there are a few C’mon.
thank you, and you’re very situations that you’re not
respectful of others time exactly sure how to handle. Your professional manners
and space. are lacking, but it’s okay…

You’re an It’s okay – you’re only There is still time to

etiquette rock star! human! change
 Some RED flags
If you hear someone say any of these, you can
expect something
unethical is about to happen!
“Well, maybe just this once.”
“No one will ever know.”
“It doesn’t matter how it gets done as long as it
gets done.”
“It sounds too good to be true.”
“Everyone does it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s part of the culture.”
“Shred that document.”
“We can hide it.”
“No one will get hurt.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“There are already enough competitors in
this market.”
“This will destroy the competition.”
“We didn’t have this conversation.”
“I don’t want to know.