CM 1010, Professional Communication 1 Course Learning.docx

CM 1010, Professional Communication 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
2. Identify legal and ethical considerations in a global work
environment.
2.1 Explain a code of conduct—its intentions and expectations.
2.2 Describe legal and ethical implications within a code of
conduct.
7. Develop communication techniques that enhance employment
opportunities.
7.1 Explain employee communication requirements for
knowledge of harassment, discrimination,
and other infractions.
Reading Assignment
In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s)
below:
Sczesny, S., Formanowicz, M., & Moser, F. (2016). Can gender-
fair language reduce gender stereotyping

and discrimination? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-11. Retrieved
from
http://go.galegroup.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/
ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=oran9510
8&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA442088246&asid=1ec0b283aace
2f9b6b9c768871fa6e64
Unit Lesson
Please be sure to maximize your Internet browser so that you
can view each individual lesson on a full
screen, ensuring that all content is made visible.
Click here to access the Ethical
Communication video.
Click here to access the Ethical Communication video
transcript.
Click here to access Unit IV Lesson 1.
Click here to access the Lesson 1 transcript.
UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Ethics and Legal Considerations

ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=oran95108&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CA442088246&asid=1ec0b283aace2f9b6b9c768871fa6e64
ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=oran95108&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CA442088246&asid=1ec0b283aace2f9b6b9c768871fa6e64
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
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CM 1010, Professional Communication 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Suggested Reading
In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s)
below:
This article provides a look at how discrimination can occur.
Beck, C. (2016, February 2). Former Yahoo worker alleges anti-
male discrimination. Christian Science
Monitor. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://s
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=a9h&AN=112704049&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The following webpage goes over several guidelines for
creating a code of conduct and provides useful
examples.
HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector. (n.d.). Policies &

employment legislation. Retrieved from
http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/code-of-conduct.cfm
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Review codes of conduct from two or three organizations, and
identify how they resemble or differ from one
another.
Complete the “Check for Understanding” questions in Lessons
1, 2, and 3.
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further
guidance and information.
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earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=1127
04049&site=ehost-live&scope=site

earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=1127
04049&site=ehost-live&scope=site
http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/code-of-conduct.cfm
Unit IV Lesson 1: Clear Communication Through Codes of
Conduct
Introduction
A code of conduct is sometimes referred to as a code of ethics,
a code of business ethics, or even
business conduct and ethics. Throughout this unit, the term code
of conduct will be used. By
whatever name, these sets of rules and standards communicate
to an employee the expectations
demanded by the employer. In virtually all cases, an employee
who is dismissed will have
violated one or more of these policies and standards.
Organizations communicate their expectations to employees,
carefully and explicitly laying out
how their employees should conduct themselves, how they
should dress for work, and how they
should use company property. These expectations are set out in
a document known as the code of

conduct or something very similar. Employers use these codes
of conduct to communicate the
culture of the organization to all employees. Many
organizations require employees to sign the
code of conduct on the first day of employment and, in some
cases, annually. Most companies
state clearly that everyone in the organization must abide by
these codes of conduct and reaffirm
that commitment according to their policies.
These various codes of conduct are designed, in many cases, to
protect organizations against
legal actions by their customers and/or clients.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC,
2005), “A corporate code of
conduct or ethics policy should be implemented to provide
employees, officers, directors and
agents with specific guidelines on acceptable and unacceptable
business practices” (p. 1).
This unit focuses on how an organization communicates with all
of its stakeholders through its
code of conduct. Some provisions of a code of conduct are

explained in detail as well as the most
common consequences of not conforming to an institution’s
code of conduct.
Communicating the Organization’s Ethical Stance
Organizations must communicate that the intentions of their
business practices are ethical—
relating to stated principles and values and a general sense of
right and wrong, justice, and
fairness. Actions such as bribery, tax evasion, discrimination,
and insider trading can ruin a
business very quickly.
Managers, supervisors, and employees have to maintain ethical
communications with
stakeholders in order to earn their trust. To attain this goal,
organizations establish codes of
conduct that apply to various levels of the organization. These
legal documents must be signed
by all who participate in the business of the organization. For
example, a board of directors may
have a code of conduct that is slightly different from the one
issued to an administrative

assistant.
Most codes of conduct relate to appropriate dress, how people
interact with each other at work,
and privacy issues. There are multiple principles that guide how
organizations create their
specific codes of conduct. However, all stakeholders are
expected to conform to the codes, and
the language of these documents must be absolutely clear on
that point.
While each organization’s code of conduct is specific to that
institution, there are several
provisions typically found in any organization’s code:
Specific restrictions may typically apply to the following areas:
• use of company assets and resources for personal gain, such as
company cars or credit
cards;
• use of company technology, including social media, for
personal benefit ;
• sharing company information that is not already known to the
public; and
• smoking in undesignated work areas.

The following behaviors are consistently prohibited in codes of
conduct:
• discrimination and harassment;
• use of alcohol and illegal drugs; and
• giving and receiving gifts, meals, services and entertainment
because they could be
perceived as an exchange for business favors.
Codes of conduct are carefully designed to protect the
organization from liability. Employees
have the following responsibilities:
• comply with laws, rules, and regulations;
• protect intellectual property and copyrighted materials; and
• report concerns and code violations.
The codes of conduct signed by persons on the board of
directors and executive officials usually
contain, among other things, that they must agree to the
following statements:
• to keep confidential any company information that is not
public,
• not to compete with the company in business, and
• not to accept gifts (bribes) from people seeking to do business

with the company.
If employees know that someone is violating the code of
conduct, they are obligated to report
such behavior to a manager and/or to the department or person
responsible for the policy.
Some organizations also have policies against unethical conduct
outside the workplace.
Employees may have to report criminal activity outside working
hours to employers. For
example, if an employee is arrested, he or she may be required
to report the incident and the
outcome to the employer.
Conforming with Codes of Conduct
A company’s code of conduct is reviewed from time to time,
usually by the board of directors.
These codes ensure that a company operates fairly, legally, and
morally. As a result, it is always
necessary to keep the document up-to-date with changing
policies.

Most companies hold training sessions annually to keep
everyone aware of the company’s code
of conduct. Throughout their employment, employees will be
asked to attend training courses to
ensure they fully understand the provisions set out in their
company’s code of conduct. At these
sessions, companies communicate that obeying the code of
conduct is a very serious matter, in
fact determining employees’ longevity at the company.
Conforming to the codes requires employees remain aware of
their conduct and appearance
while on the job. With today’s technology, it is certainly easy
for an employee to access personal
websites on the company’s computers during the workday.
However, if the company policy is
that technology is only to be used for business reasons, to do so
then is clearly a violation of the
code of conduct and is risking not just censure but termination
as well. Instead, an employee
might use his or her break time to follow up on personal issues
by using a personal cell phone.

Companies also include how employees must dress in their
codes of conduct. However, there are
times when most employers modify dress codes for a variety of
reasons. According to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),
In general, an employer may establish a dress code which
applies to all employees or
employees within certain job categories. However, there are a
few possible exceptions.
While an employer may require all workers to follow a uniform
dress code even if the
dress code conflicts with some workers' ethnic beliefs or
practices, a dress code must not
treat some employees less favorably because of their national
origin. For example, a dress
code that prohibits certain kinds of ethnic dress, such as
traditional African or East Indian
attire, but otherwise permits casual dress would treat some
employees less favorably
because of their national origin.
Moreover, if the dress code conflicts with an employee's
religious practices and the
employee requests an accommodation, the employer must

modify the dress code or
permit an exception to the dress code unless doing so would
result in undue hardship.
Similarly, if an employee requests an accommodation to the
dress code because of his or
her disability, the employer must modify the dress code or
permit an exception to the
dress code, unless doing so would result in undue hardship.
(para. 41-44)
Another area to consider when reflecting on accommodating
particular aspects of a code of
conduct are the various methods used to achieve a company’s
goals. All employees must use
strict ethical means to perform the jobs that they are assigned.
For example, no employee is
permitted to plagiarize when making presentations to their
colleagues. If the ideas that are
presented are borrowed from another person or company, a
strict requirement is to give credit
and acknowledge all sources. In some instances, employees will
be required to obtain permission
to use the information because of copyright laws—something
which we will explore further in

Lesson 4.
Consequences of not following Codes of Conduct
Inevitably, codes of conduct are violated. Usually, the first step
taken when violations occur is a
gentle reminder—a verbal warning. Though not required by law,
many employers give an
employee notice that he or she has violated the code of conduct
and warn that repetition may
result in a gamut of repercussions, the most severe of which is
termination. If an employee
continues to violate the code of conduct, then he or she will
eventually suffer the commensurate
punishment for the repeated offense, to include termination.
For a complex and varied number of reasons, some employees
inevitably use questionable
practices to achieve success within an organization. When
unethical behavior is discovered,
termination is always a strong possibility. Unethical behaviors
include stealing, embezzlement,
and a wide variety of practices that can result in immediate

dismissal. Depending on whether or
not criminal activity is involved, law enforcement might be
involved, and the national news is
always reporting one story or another reflecting the consistency
with which these offenses occur.
Check for Understanding
(Answer Key found below Review)
1. Do all businesses use the term code of conduct for the
uniform set of standards and rules
that employees go by in order to work for the company?
a. Yes
b. No
2. A code of conduct would likely address all of the following
except:
a. dress.
b. discrimination.
c. religious affiliation.
d. use of company property.
3. If you work in a company and become aware that a colleague
is violating the code of
conduct, your best course of action is:
a. to stay away from the offending behavior, including keeping
silent about its

existence.
b. to report the behavior to the proper supervisor or HR
representative as soon as
possible.
4. An employee has posted pictures on Facebook that are
evidence of flagrant violations of
the code of conduct. Do privacy rights protect the employee
from being disciplined by his
or her company?
a. Yes
b. No
5. An employee is visiting his or her Facebook account during
company time—in most
cases, will the employee automatically be terminated.
a. Yes
b. No
Review
1. A code of conduct explains the employer’s expectations
regarding conduct, appearance,
and use of company property.
2. Some restrictions within a code of conduct include use of

company property for personal
use, sharing company information that is not already known to
the public, and smoking in
undesignated work areas.
3. If an employee has a disability, the employer must permit an
exception to the dress code
unless doing so would result in undue hardship.
4. If an employee continually violates the code of conduct, he or
she can be legally
terminated.
Answer Key
1. B - While virtually all companies have a document that
outlines specific behaviors and
guidelines for all employees, and while many companies do use
the term code of conduct,
the name itself varies greatly in between companies.
2. B - In fact, an inquiry about one’s religious affiliation would
be against the law and
protected by federal and state laws.
3. B - Reporting behaviors that violate the code of conduct is
often included in the code, and
not doing so might be a violation of the code in itself.
4. B - As above, once an employee opens his or her actions to
public view, privacy laws do
not apply.

5. An employee is made aware of the code of conduct and in
most cases must sign
confirmation of the awareness, so unless the act is in violation
of the rules stated in the
code, the employee will not be dismissed.
References
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. (2005). Corporate codes
of conduct: Guidance on
implementing an effective ethics program. Retrieved from
https://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2005/fil10505.pdf
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.).
Prohibited employment
policies/practices. Retrieved from
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/index.cfm#dress_code

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