Principles for Ethical Communication

Printed Page 37-39

Principles for Ethical Communication

Although it is impossible to state principles for ethical communication that will guide you through all the challenges you will face communicating in the workplace, the following ten principles provide a starting point.

ABIDE BY RELEVANT LAWS

You must adhere to the laws governing intellectual property. Here are some examples:

ABIDE BY THE APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT

Your field’s professional organization, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers, is likely to have a code that goes beyond legal issues to express ethical principles, such as telling the truth, reporting information accurately, respecting the privacy of others, and avoiding conflicts of interest.

ABIDE BY YOUR ORGANIZATION’S POLICY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If your employer has a written policy about how employees may use social media, study it. If there is no written policy, check with Human Resources or your supervisor for advice. If you think that you will be unable to abide by the employer’s policy—whether written or not—you should not work there or you should abide by it while you try to change it.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR EMPLOYER’S ETHICS RESOURCES

Your employer is likely to have a code of conduct, as well as other resources, such as an Ethics Office, which can help you find information to guide you in resolving ethical challenges you encounter. Your employer will likely have a mechanism for registering complaints about unethical conduct anonymously.

TELL THE TRUTH

Sometimes, employees are asked to lie about their companies’ products or about those of their competitors. Obviously, lying is unethical. Your responsibility is to resist this pressure, going over your supervisor’s head if necessary.

DON’T MISLEAD YOUR READERS

For a more detailed discussion of misleading writing, see Ch. 10. For a discussion of avoiding misleading graphics, see Ch. 12.

A misleading statement—one that invites or even encourages the reader to reach a false conclusion—is ethically no better than lying. Avoid these four common kinds of misleading technical communication:

For techniques for writing clearly, including avoiding discriminatory language, see Ch. 10.

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Figure 2.3 Using Design to Emphasize Important Information
This nutritional labeling system is called “traffic-light labeling” because it uses red and green to indicate how healthful a food is.
Shaun Finch— Coyote-Photography.co.uk/Alamy.

USE DESIGN TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT ETHICAL AND LEGAL INFORMATION

Courts have found that burying information in footnotes or printing it in very small type violates a company’s obligation to inform consumers and warn them about hazards in using a product. When you want to communicate safety information or other facts that readers need to know, use design features to make that information easy to see and understand. Figure 2.3 shows how design principles can be used to communicate nutritional information on food labels.

BE CLEAR

Clear writing helps your readers understand your message easily. Your responsibility is to write as clearly as you can to help your audience understand what you are saying. For instance, if you are writing a product warranty, make it as simple and straightforward as possible. Don’t hide behind big words and complicated sentences. Use tables of contents, indexes, and other accessing devices to help your readers find what they need.

AVOID DISCRIMINATORY LANGUAGE

Don’t use language that discriminates against people because of their sex, religion, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, or physical or mental abilities. Employees have been disciplined or fired for sending inappropriate jokes through the company email system.

ACKNOWLEDGE ASSISTANCE FROM OTHERS

Don’t suggest that you did all the work yourself if you didn’t. Cite your sources and your collaborators accurately and graciously. Read more about citing sources, see Appendix, Part B.