Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Building Your Ethical Code to Enhance Your Career


Before you build a personal ethical code you truly must understand what exactly good ethical practices are and how you can apply them to your career. Is ethics religion? Is it based on laws? Is it personal feelings? Well the answer is, no, no and no. Ethics is not religion although our personal ethics code might stem from our religious foundation. Ethics is not laws although laws provide moral standards, holding members of society to a form of ethical behavior. Ethics is not based on personal feelings although there are times we might result to basing a decision on what we “feel” is moral. More likely than not those feelings will be accompanied with biases and not remain purely ethical. (A Framework)

What is Ethics? It is difficult to explain and I don’t believe it can be defined in a one-liner. However what we do know is ethics:  is a set of standards, good morals, knowledge of right from wrong, and ethics applies to everyone. These good morals might be influenced by life moments, people or beliefs but they are not confined to them.

So what is ethics based on? It is based on Ethical Constructs, which are theories and standards relating to ethics. Have you ever heard the philosophy, “a means to an end”? Well this term refers to the actions (Means) that cause a specific result (end). 
  • Ends-Based (Utilitarianism Approach):  Utilitarianism approach to ethics is helping the greatest number of people and doing the least amount of harm. This approach is not concerned with how you achieve the “end”, as long as it does the greatest good for the greatest number of people. 
  • Rule-Based Ethics (Deontology): This construct is based on what you think it is, rules, and the duties that we as humans are obligated. “Deontologist hold that certain underlying principles are right or wrong regardless of conscious” (Grower). The best example comes from the book Ethics in Public Relations, A Guide To Best Practice: “If a bus was at a stop light and there was a car quickly approaching that would strike the bus and potentially hurt the children inside, would you run the light? Most people would break the law and run the light to save the children but following Deontology approach you would follow the law and not deviate on a situational basis” (Parsons). 
  • Virtue-Based Ethics: Virtue based ethics is concerned with what makes individuals ethical not following a set of rules or ends based ethics. For example virtue-based people might ask themselves, “If I were a ‘good’ person, what would I do” (Parsons)?

Building Your Code:

Your code should include:
  • Introduction:  Do you have a mantra? Who or what has been your biggest influencer? This is where you describe how you got to where you are today, the construct you associate with and how you have been influenced ethically. For example: My influencers are my immediate family and the day my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I associate myself with the Utilitarianism and virtue-based ethics. 
  • Preamble: Describe the values you vow to live by. Choose values that are important to you and that you feel strongly about. Nothings worse than having values you don’t believe in. I would suggest 5-10 values, any more and it will be hard to manage. Some of my values are: Honestly, Transparency, Fearlessness, Loyalty, and Volunteerism. 
  • Code of conduct: In this section define your values and apply them to your personal and professional life.

For example: Advocacy: I will strive to use my professional and personal knowledge to advocate on behalf of my clients, employers, special interest organizations and myself to the best of my ability.
Personally: I will utilize my knowledge of public relations and communications to defend and promote my own personal brand. I will seek out opportunities to network and gain connections… Professionally: I will support all clients, employers and customers with objective counsel. I will advocate on behalf of my clients, employers and customers “best, true story” (Stewart). I will do this by getting to know my client’s background, assessing their situation, outcomes and potential harms. I will then provide them with solutions that I believe with strengthen their cause.
  • Code in Action: In this section list what you plan to do with your code and how you will live by it. For example: “I will use my personal ethics codes to do two immediate actions: rejuvenate my current employers ethical code and help myself grow in the PR profession. When reflecting on how my code will apply and help me in the “real world” I began to think of one word, “growth”. Formulating this code allowed me to grow on a personal level, it gave me the opportunity to acknowledge the values that are important to me and apply them to my professional career…” 
  • Reference Codes: When you want to know your audience you do research right? Well we need to have the same mindset when it comes to writing your personal ethics code or an ethics code for your employer. You need to know yourself, your audience, what you value and what you strive to be. Look at examples of other codes, visit sites of your favorite products, your employer, competitors, and universities; study their codes and get ideas on how to build a personal ethics code that applies to you or your audience. I would suggest PRSA, AMA DC, and I personally love United Way’s ethical code for their focus on volunteerism and application to their employees. 
  • Conclusion: Wrap it up. Restate what has influenced you, your personal construct and how you plan to move forward using your code.

Tips on how relate to your code to your career:
  • When forming your values think of yourself on a in personal and professional level. 
  • Apply values that you believe will strengthen your role in your career.
  • Everyone has moments in their career, which they might not agree with the ethical means of their employer, or co-workers, use those examples as turning points on what not to do and how to prevent those situations. 
  • Think of how you got to where you are today, your current role and where you want to be.
  • Do you want to eventually work for a non-profit? Vow to incorporate volunteerism in your personal life and current position. Live and breathe your code. 

Tips on how maintain your code:
  • Constantly update and add-on to your code when it applies. You will change professionally and personally and your code should transform with you. 
  • Define your loyalties: your family? Your employer? Your clients? Who are you loyal and what does that mean. 
  • Finding it hard to apply your good ethics when your employer only has an ethical code to fill website space? Volunteer to draft a code that applies to their employers and customers.   
  • Start applying your code to career decisions, the more you use it the easier it will be to maintain.

Good Reads:

References:
"A Framework for Thinking Ethically." What Is Ethics? Web. 17 May 2014. <http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html>.
Grower, Karla. "Legal and Ethical Considerations for Public Relations." 2008. Web. 17 May 2014.
Parsons, Patricia. Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice. London: Kogan Page, 2004. Print

Written by Kate Jones
                Public relations and graphic design professional, Katharine Jones received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Graphic Design from York College of Pennsylvania and is currently completing her Masters of Professional Studies in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Georgetown University. Katherine prides herself in bringing creative twist to Public Relations and effective strategy to design. 
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