Principles for Ethical Communication
Introduction
Ethics is the study of morals and values of what is correct and what is wrong. For a person to qualify in being an ethical communicator, they need to practice honesty, accuracy and truth in communication (Chmielewski, 2019). This essay shows the principles for ethical communication at the workplace.
Abide by copy write laws.
The copy writes laws to protect the authors’ rights or originators of creative works to control how and allow their work to be disseminated and copied. The law protects others from copying the work with no permission.
For new employees, for instance, in the field of medicine and health, when doing research, it is advisable to avoid copy-pasting what other researchers have done. The employee is entitled to paraphrase words in their own words or strategize on seeking written permission when they wish to include copy write material in a document. This is a way of maintaining ethics in written communication (Chmielewski, 2019).
Abide by the Organizations policy on social media
If you are a new employee in an organization checking on the organization policy on social media would be very important to guide on how the organization maintains ethical communication. Consulting the Human resource manager or the supervisor is advisable when there is no written policy. This is a way of safeguarding confidential information at the workplace. Following the set policies is a way of maintaining ethical communication (Johansson, 2015).
Abide by the Organization code of conduct
Code of conduct shows how employees in an organization should behave daily. It gives a reflection on the organization’s day-to-day operations, organizations culture and the core values. There is always some uniqueness in every organization’s code of conduct. Depending on the fields professional, there ought to be a code of conduct that guides every employee at the workplace. This is a way of maintaining ethical communication. (Munim, 2017).
Take advantage of the employer’s ethics resources.
Ethical resources such as workshops and training assist the employee in identifying a lot of ethical dilemmas. The most effective resources are the ones that consistently encourage ethics at the workplace. They ensure that information is handled in the right way by the staffs at the workplace.
Taking advantage of the resources such as workshops and training is a principle that shows ethical communication at the workplace. The employer has channels to ensure complaints are handled anonymously at the workplace. The workplace can thrive due to internal values and integrity (Heinig, 2018).
Telling the Truth
As employee avoiding, the pressure associated with lies or going past the supervisor’s directives is a way of ensuring ethical communication at the workplace. Allowing the supervisor to take information that is unfairly presented and making them believe that what they prefer to believe is a key goal of ethical communication. Accurate facts and information are the basis of ethical communication at the workplace (Mandelbaum, 2019).
Avoid Misleading readers.
Avoid falsifying information about the organization’s products, especially during branding and also avoiding exaggeration about the products specifications and legal constructions. This is a way of maintaining ethics in communication at the workplace.
Avoiding negative tone to the external environment is key since the main goal is to maintain good relationships and reputation with the surroundings. Keeping a neutral tone and positive tone is the best strategy to ensure as an employee, you adhere to the ethical principle in communication (Mandelbaum, 2019).
Using Design to highlight important ethical and legal information
Strategies and practices ought to be anchored solidly to precisely stated principles that can be shared widely inside the organization. A well-designed mission statement can help to highlight the critical ethical and legal information at the workplace. Employees should be capable of seeing how ethical principles affect the organization’s practices (Epley & Kumar, 2019).
Ensuring clarity
Clear information is key in workplace communication where information is continuously posted on various media platforms. Ensuring clarity of information is vital in maintaining ethical communication. It requires an intentional approach of communication in various forms—the use of assessing devices to ensure that readers get what they need (Mandelbaum, 2019).
Conclusion
Principles of ethical communication play a significant role in the workplace. The employees need to ensure they understand the principles of ethical communication in the fields they have been attached to an organization. Violation of these principles may negatively impact the organization.
References
Chmielewski, T. (2019). Why Are Copyright Laws Important? Retrieved from azcentral.com: https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/copyright-laws-important-2674.html
Epley, N., & Kumar, A. (2019, June). How to Design an Ethical Organization. Retrieved from Havard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2019/05/how-to-design-an-ethical-organization
Heinig, I. (2018, December 12). How Can Companies Encourage Ethics in the Workplace? Retrieved from The Manifest: https://medium.com/@the_manifest/how-can-companies-encourage-ethics-in-the-workplace-5c36318e98a4
Johansson, M. (2015, February 2). Reasons Your Organization Must Have a Social Media Policy. Retrieved from Social media today: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/8-reasons-your-organization-must-have-social-media-policy-0#:~:text=Protect%20your%20organization’s%20reputation%3A%20A,their%20company%20on%20social%20networks.&text=They%20also%20help%20employees%20reflect,to%20s
Mandelbaum, A. (2019, August 22). Ethical Communication: The Basic Principles. Retrieved from smbadvisors: https://www.smbadvisors.com/capabilities/knowledge-management/insights/ethical-communication-the-basic-principles#:~:text=Truthfulness%20%26%20honesty%20is%20the%20most,listener%20will%20perceive%20an%20event.
Munim, A. (2017, August 29). What Makes a Great Code of Conduct? Retrieved from I- sight: https://i-sight.com/resources/18-of-the-best-code-of-conduct-examples/#:~:text=A%20code%20of%20conduct%20defines,to%20the%20organization%20it%20represents.