Life Skills Development/Unit Five/Ethics in the Workplace/Lesson

Ethics & the Socitey
Ethics are making a comeback. To begin with, more and more corporations and businessmen and women are now realizing that ethics aren’t checked at the door when entering the workplace. Ethics have every bit as much a place in the public as they do in the private. How it is there should be separate sets of ethics, depending upon whether it is your personal life or your work life? The answer is that there shouldn’t be a separate set and in light of recent events that we see on our television sets as of late, more and more companies are realizing this fact. Some companies are incorporating ethics into their training. It is a subject that can go hand- in-hand. With business and when employees and CEO’s alike understand what ethics are about, business can improve. Not only will the community take note of the ethical nature of a business but also so will customers.

Periodic re-evaluations are suggested in the ethics training as well, since time change many things that some would never consider ethical or non-ethical. For instance, when the first computer hacker to send a work into a university computer system crippled the entire network, that the system was a part of, including that of public utilities – simply because he could do it – a question of ethics is hard to pose. Computers were new, at the time. And no one had ever been able to do such a thing before. With new times come new technology and new ways of doing things. Ethics will still play a part of it all and refreshing ethics training, only re-strengthens what has already been learned, when new ages come about.

''In the end its all about what a person understands about ethics, many university curricula are now heavily applying the teaching of Ethics and for good reason. Young minds will take this information into the workforce and understand that ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector.''

Corporations will be able to avoid embarrassing scandals that are presented all over national news. Small business will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with more consideration for the other company in mind, which will only help both. Above all, a high level of ethics of your business should be in place at least for the customers. If anything it is the customer that should be considered the most when it comes to ethical business practices. In the long run, a company will reap great profits from a customer that feels he/she is being treated fairly and truthfully.

Question: What is sexual harassment?

Answer: Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. It is any form of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Portfolio Contents

 * 1) List of examples of ethical and unethical behaviour in the workplace
 * 2) Reflections on role play: Resolution of sexual harassment incident in the office/workplace
 * 3) Own version of Code of Ethics including process to resolve sexual harassment issues
 * 4) Notes on the class discussion
 * 5) Reflections on group work and oral work on Ethics in the Workplace

Checklists of Performance Task
1. Discussion  1.|I made a contribution to the general discussion at least once|||| 2.|I understood the concept of ethics and morals more clearly by engaging in the discussion|||| 2. List  1.|I created a list of at least five reasons in column format describing, from my perspective, why ethical behaviour should/shouldn’t be found in the workplace||||
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….

3. Role play  1.|I was able to demonstrate forms of unethical and ethical behaviour in the workplace|||| 2.|I demonstrated ways of addressing and resolving instances of unethical behaviour in the workplace|||| 3.|I now know the right way to conduct myself in the workplace|||| 4. Reflection on group presentation  1.|I have established the difference between ethical and unethical behaviour|||| 2.|I have identified ways of addressing unethical behaviour generally|||| 3.|I have understood “the code of ethics” that applies in organizations/workplaces|||| 4.|I expressed my views in both the reflection segment and the group presentation at least once.|||| 5. Writing my own version of a Code of Ethics with regulations about the process of resolving sexual harassment complaints  1.|I have read and understood at least 2 “the code of ethics” that apply in different organizations/workplaces codes of ethics of different firms|||| 2.|I have worked out a process from complaint, listening, to resolution (of several possible types)|||| 3.|I have written my own Code of Ethics (and regulations) that is an improvement on current ones||||
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….

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