Steps to Writing a Code of Ethics: Personal and Professional Conduct

Five Steps to Writing a Code of Ethics

Your Journal will be marked based on organization of thoughts, comprehensiveness, overall effort, reference to textbook theory/information and clarity (as well as grammar, punctuation, etc.). Please do not exceed three pages, including a title page.

Writing a Code of Ethics Follow the first three steps on to create a code of ethics that will guide your personal and professional conduct. Your code should begin by stating the values and principles that are important to you personally and to your present or future profession. The body of the code should convert these values and principles into ethical behaviours.

1. Identify the values and principles on which the code is to be based

2. Tranform those values and principles into ethical behaviours

3. Organize the document

4. Introduce the code to the company/organization

5. Obtain feedback and revise code. 

? Give clear direction for specific behaviours as well as general guidelines.

? Use brief, practical examples to make your general ethical statements clear.

? Indicate where civil laws, company policies or standards of profes-sional practice fit into your code. III Organize your code for easy reference.

Refer to the lists on pages at the end of this chapter (What to Consider in Writing a Code of Ethics) for some of the values that might form a basis for your ethics, and for topics you might consider including in your code. 

If the code of ethics has been written by a multi-disciplinary team chosen from among the company's employees, or if at the very least, employees' input has been sought during the writing process, introducing the code should not be difficult. Employees will already know about it and are likely to be receptive if its purpose has been explained in a positive manner that allays any fears they may have. If, however, employees are being presented with a completed docu-ment, it is very important to address the concerns they may have immediately. They may interpret the arrival of a code of ethics as implying that management thinks they have been acting unethically, and be insulted. They may fear that the purpose of the code is to catch them in unapproved behaviours and that it will be used against them, or be concerned that it might violate their personal beliefs and values.

These concerns and other similar ones need to be heard and addressed before the new code will be accepted. Following the introduction of the code, some form of orientation or train-ing should take place. This will show employees that management believes the code of ethics is important. It will also make them aware of what is in it, which issues are critically important to the company and which allow for individual discretion. Moreover, the training will explain how the code is organized for easy reference when a situation comes up that employees are not sure how best to respond to. 

A code of ethics is never finished. Laws change. Business practices and client expectations change. Technological advances create new areas to consider. Employees and members of the profession make choices, good and bad, which uncover areas of behaviour that need to be reviewed or added to the code.