1. Follow your conscience and “to thine own self be true.” Do not authorize something that you believe is wrong, dangerous, unfair, contradictory, or incomplete. But don’t be hasty. Leave plenty of room for diplomacy and for careful questioning. Recall the story of Chicken Little, who always cried that the sky was falling. Don’t blow a small matter out of proportion.
2. Be suspicious of convenient (and false) appeals that go against your beliefs. Watch out for these red flags that anyone places in the way of your conscience: “No one will ever know.” “It’s OK to cut corners every once in a while.” “We got away with it last time.” “Don’t rock the boat.” “No one’s looking.” “As long as the company makes money, who cares?” These excuses are traps you must avoid.
3. Meet your obligations to your employer, your co-workers, your customers, and the global community. Examine their reasons for reading your communication and consider how and in what contexts they will use it. Keeping information from a co-worker who needs it, omitting a fact, justifying unnecessary expenses, concealing something risky about a product from an international
customer that you otherwise would disclose to a U.S. customer—all of these are unethical acts.
4. Take responsibility for your actions. Saying “I do not know” when you do know can constitute a serious ethical violation. Keep your records up-to-date and accurate, sign and date your work, and never backdate a document to delete information or to fix an error that you committed. Always do what is expected in terms of documentation and notification. Failing to test a set of instructions thoroughly, for example, might endanger readers around the globe.
5. Honor confidentiality at work. Never share sensitive/confidential information with individuals who are not entitled to see or hear it. One of a company’s most valuable assets is its intellectual property. Companies guard trade secrets and oppose unfair competition to protect their rights and to ensure that they can patent their work successfully. You violate corporate trust by telling others about your company’s research, marketing strategies, sales records, personnel decisions, or customer/client interactions. It is equally unethical to divulge personal information that a co-worker or supervisor has asked you to keep confidential. In fact, your employer may insist that you sign a confidentiality agreement when you are hired. Your employer rightfully demands that you act honorably from your first day at work until your last. Respecting a former employer’s confidentially extends to even after you leave for another job.
6. Document your work completely, carefully, and honestly. Rely on hard evidence in your written work and document where you found that information. Always give credit to your sources—those in print, on the Web, or from discussions with individuals who contributed to your work. Be sure, too, that your documentation complies with appropriate city, state, federal, and international codes and regulations. FDA and OSHA inspectors, for instance, look closely at a company’s documentation to ensure public safety. Not documenting sources is unethical, and so is inventing information or falsifying a document, whether a financial statement or a report. Such actions constitute fraud.
7. Keep others in the loop. Confer regularly with your collaborative writing team and any other co-workers affected by your job. Report to your boss as often as you are instructed to give progress reports, to alert him or her about problems, and to help you coordinate your duties with co-workers. If
you experience a problem at work, don’t wait to tell your supervisor and/or coworkers until it gets worse. Prompt and honest notifications are essential to the safety, security, progress, and ultimate success of a company. Also, never keep a customer/vendor waiting; call in advance if you are going to be delayed.
8. Treat company property respectfully. Use company supplies, networks/ computers, equipment, and vehicles responsibly and only for work-related business. Taking supplies home, making personal long-distance calls on a company cell phone, charging non–work related expenses (meals, clothes, travel) on a company credit card, surfing the Internet when you are at work—these are just a few instances of unethical behavior. Being wasteful (of paper, supplies, ink) also disrespects your company’s resources.
9. Think green in the workplace. Closely related to above is being respectful of the environment—whether at the office, at a work site, or in the community your company serves. Many companies have adopted a green philosophy, as demonstrates. At your office, conserve energy by turning off all computers, copiers, and other office machines when you leave work; replace old light bulbs with longer-life ones; recycle paper; copy and print on both sides of paper; view documents on your computer screen instead of printing them; adjust thermostats when you are gone for the day or weekend, and car pool or van pool. You can also reduce toxic chemicals in the atmosphere by using soy-based ink and inspecting vehicles regularly and reporting any pollution.
10. Weigh all sides before you commit to a conclusion. You may think a particular course of action is right at the time, but don’t overlook the possibility that your decision may create a bigger problem in the future. For example, you hear that a co-worker is involved in wrongdoing; you report it to your boss, and a reprimand is placed in that worker’s file. Later you learn that what was reported to you was malicious gossip or only a small part of a much larger but very ethical picture. Give people the benefit of the doubt until you have sufficient facts to the contrary. Giving incomplete information
on an incident report may temporarily protect you but may falsely incriminate someone else or unfairly increase your company’s liability insurance rates.
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