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ETHICS
How Do They Fit in
Today’s Workplace?
2003 STC Region 5 Conference
Society for Technical
Communicators
An objective, ethical principle
 What do technical communicators use to
guide their decisions?
 How do the STC Ethical Principles stand
the test?
 As gatekeepers of information, what is our
responsibility to our companies, our
organization, and ourselves?
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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A typical problem
 You have been asked to design materials
that will be used to recruit new
employees.
 You decide to include photographs of the
company’s employees and its facilities;
however, your company has no disabled
employees.
 You ask one of the employees to sit in a
wheelchair for one of the photographs.
 Is this ethical?
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2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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Was that ethical?
 76% of 455 participants determined the
dilemma unethical
 243 participants of that group (76%)
based their decision on a consequential
philosophy.
 So, what is a consequential philosophy?
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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What is consequentialism?
 Consequentialism states that we are required by
morality to bring about the greatest good overall.
 However, when this ethical dilemma is analyzed
under a consequential philosophy such as
utilitarianism, we discover that a consequential
philosophy would in actuality determine this
dilemma ethical.
 The decision is actually based on a deontological
ethic.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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What is a deontological ethic?
 Decision based on an imperative duty not
to deceive rather than the consequences of
the act
 Many technical communicators are
uninformed about the reasoning behind
the ethical decisions they make.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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The conclusion of this work:
 This uninformed state can cause problems
because most of us as technical
communicators, have no understood,
objective principle guiding our ethical
decisions.
 Technical communicators need an
objective guiding principle to help
professionals in the field make ethical
decisions when they are faced with ethical
dilemmas.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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So what is business ethics?
 Business ethics in the workplace is about
prioritizing moral values for the workplace
and ensuring behaviors are aligned with
those values -- it's values management.
 Yet, myths abound about business ethics.
Some of these myths arise from general
confusion about the notion of ethics. Other
myths arise from narrow or simplistic
views of ethical dilemmas.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
8
So what is business ethics?
 The concept has come to generally mean
what is right or wrong in the workplace
and doing what is right.
 Many assert there’s always a right thing to
do based on moral principle; others believe
the right thing to do depends on the
situation.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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So what is business ethics?
 What we consider ethical today often
becomes a law, regulation, or rule
tomorrow.
 Attention to business ethics is critical
during times of fundamental change.
 In times of fundamental change, values
that were previously take for granted are
now strongly questioned.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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Big myth of business ethics
 Our organization is not in trouble with the
law, therefore we’re ethical!

Withholding information

Fudging on budgets

Complaining about others

“Boil the frog” phenomena
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2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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Another big myth
 Ethics only restates the obvious


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Do good!
Obvious to be honest, but if a company
has continuing occasions of deceit, it’s
important to list it in that company’s
code of ethics.
Codes of ethics should change with the
needs of society and the organization.
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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At the end of the day…
 Ethics is an individual decision.
 But companies and organizations
must stand behind what they believe
and make clear their ethical
viewpoints.
 The best ethics trainer is the
behavior of the organization’s
leaders.
10/11/03
2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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References and supporting
works
 Joshua Joseph, et al., “Ethics in the Workplace, What Association
Leaders Should Know,” Executive Update Online.
www.gwsae.org/Executive Update/2000/October/ethics.htm
 Cornelius van Baeyer, “What’s Workplace Ethics?,”
www.workplaceethics.ca/work.html
 Cornelius van Baeyer, “Codes of Conduct: Panacea or Bunk?”
www.workplaceethics.ca/codes.html
 Carter McNamara, “Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics
Toolkit for Managers,” www.mapnp.org/library/ethics/ethxgde.htm
 Dragga, Sam. "'Is This Ethical?' A Survey of Opinion on Principles
and
Practices of Document Design.“ Technical Communication, Third
Quarter 1996: 255 - 265.
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2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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More references
 Paul Dombrowski (2000) Ethics in Technical Communication. Allyn &
Bacon: Needham Heights,
 MA.Fred Casmir (1997) Ethics in Intercultural and International
Communication. Lawrence Erlbaum: Mahway, NJ.
 Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals: On a
supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns. Ed. James
Ellington. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993.
 Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. Ed. George Sher Indianapolis:Hackett,
1979.
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2003 STC Region 5 Conference:
Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich
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