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PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICAL ISSUES 2. Avoid harm: ‘‘Harm’’ means causing adverse consequences,
such as undesirable loss of information, physical or mental injury,
Professional and Ethical Responsibilities loss of property, and unjustified damage to property, reputation,
and the environment.
Ethics is the analysis of human actions from the perspective of “good”
and “evil” or of “morally correct” and “morally wrong.” It deals with Avoiding harm starts with careful consideration of potential
responsibilities, rights, use of language, significance of ethical life, and impacts on those likely to be affected. When harm is an intentional
how people make moral decisions. part of the system, everyone involved must ensure that the harm
is ethically justified and minimized.
Code of Ethics
To minimize harm, follow generally accepted protocols unless
there is a justified ethical reason to do so otherwise. It is also an
It is one of the methods to navigate new ethical issues in an additional obligation to report any signs that might result in
organization. It outlines a set of acceptable behaviors in a professional damages.
or social group generally agreed to by its members. It also specifies
various actions that are considered appropriate and inappropriate. 3. Be honest and trustworthy: Transparency and disclosing a
system’s relevant capabilities, limitations, and potential risks of a
General Ethical Responsibilities system to the appropriate person is important. Making deliberately
false or misleading claims, data falsification, offering or accepting
Acquiring new technology can have a powerful effect on human bribes, and other ill-intentioned conduct are violations and should
behavior as it offers new and advanced capabilities. Handling the new not be tolerated.
problems and situations it brings is another question.
A professional must appropriately represent an organization's
Here are the general ethical responsibilities in technology. policies or procedures and should not speak on their behalf unless
authorized to do so.
1. Contribute to society and human well-being: It deals with
protecting fundamental human rights and one’s right to autonomy. 4. Be fair and act not to discriminate: Discrimination based on
It is essential to minimize the adverse effects of information race, sex, religion, age, disability, and other related factors
systems, including threats to health, safety, and privacy. concerns this ethical responsibility.
Systems should respect diversity, meet social needs, be used in Harassment, such as sexual harassment, bullying, and forms of
socially responsible ways, and be broadly accessible. It is also abuse of power and authority, is a form of discrimination that limits
encouraged to actively participate in volunteer work that benefits fair access to the virtual and physical spaces in the workplace.
the public good.
The workplace should be as inclusive and as accessible as
possible to avoid developing systems or technologies that
disenfranchise or oppress people.
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5. Respect privacy: Communication technology enables the 3. Improve public understanding of computing and its
collection and exchange of personal information resulting in an consequences: Sharing technical knowledge with the public by
increased potential for privacy violations of individuals and groups. encouraging the understanding of computing is a responsibility
that shows the impacts of information systems and their
Maintaining the privacy and integrity of personal data is limitations. This implies an obligation to counter and disprove any
necessary, including taking precautions to ensure data accuracy false views related to the systems.
and protection from unauthorized access or disclosure to
inappropriate individuals. 4. Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities:
Honoring one’s commitments is aligned with integrity and honesty.
Moreover, only the necessary amount of personal information This includes ensuring that system elements function as intended.
should be collected; retention and disposal periods must be
clearly defined and enforced, and only collect information for a The principle here is the acceptance of personal accountability for
specific purpose with the consent of the individual. professional work no matter the results. On occasions that other
responsibilities may take greater priority, ethical judgment should
6. Honor Confidentiality: Protection of confidential information be the final guide in deciding whether to proceed or not.
such as trade secrets, client data, financial information, and
research data is an ethical responsibility. It is advised to 5. Access computing and communication resources only when
thoughtfully consider whether such information is consistent with authorized to do so: Trespassing and unauthorized use of a
the law. computer or communication systems are prohibited. Trespassing
includes accessing communication networks and computer
General Professional Responsibilities systems, or files associated without explicit authorization to do so.
Professional responsibilities deal with how to act and behave within Organizations have the right to restrict access to their systems
the bounds of an organization, including the relationship with their co- forbidding one’s use of someone’s computer system, software, or
workers. data files. Access must-have appropriate approval before using
system resources, including but not limited to communication
1. Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness, and ports, file space, other system peripherals, and computer time.
dignity: Excellence is one of the most important obligations of a
professional. It is encouraged to strive for quality and be aware of
the severe adverse consequences of a poor-quality system.
The dignity of everyone at work, including the clients and users,
should be respected throughout the process.
2. Acquire and maintain professional competence: It is best to
participate in setting appropriate levels of competence to achieve
high standards. Upgrading technical knowledge and competence
are achieved through independent study, attending seminars or
courses, and involvement in professional organizations.
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Professional Issues at Work 3. Difficult people: In almost every workplace, there are always
unhappy employees that feel frustrated or those that are unwilling
Despite exerting the best efforts, issues will arise causing friction in to welcome change and new activities. These issues can result in
the workplace. Numerous internal and external issues can make work bringing others down due to constant complaints and negativity.
difficult and slow down productivity.
Once the conflict intensifies, reaching out to HR or anyone in
Here are major examples of challenges at work: charge is ideal. But if it is manageable, communicate properly to
understand and acknowledge each other’s feelings. It is advised
1. Communication challenges: Employees communicate to practice kindness by going easy on treating and handling
differently. Some may tend to respond to emails and messages in others.
a matter of minutes, while others take days. Many do not even
respond to them at all. 4. Lack of skill development and professional growth: Skill
enhancement is too essential to be ignored. Employees need to
This lack of communication and the absence of coordination improve their performance to keep pace with new technologies.
between employees can pose a challenge to an organization’s Otherwise, they risk becoming outdated and dispensable.
harmony and success.
Seeking out seminars and training is encouraged even if they are
These can be avoided when the willingness to drop personal pride not initiated by the company to avoid the feeling of becoming
and ego to address the problem is present and setting aside stagnant.
personal problems to achieve the common goal of the company is
apparent. 5. Mental health challenges: Work is good for mental health, but a
poor workplace can lead to physical and mental health problems.
2. Low employee motivation: The chance of feeling demotivated is Harassment and bullying at work are one of the most reported
always present despite the desire to work. It is why needing problems that have a substantial adverse impact on mental health,
support, encouragement, and motivation from time to time is such as depression and anxiety.
essential.
Taking time off work is valid when dealing with mental health
In a desk job, the need for motivation is always reoccurring as challenges. Creating a personal space outside of work is
people get tired of doing the same work every day. necessary, as life should not just be focused on work. Spend
weekends doing hobbies, or just merely resting or focusing on
To address this challenge, it is advised to reach out to HR or activities to improve mental health and personal growth.
anyone in charge to create activities and seminars to boost
workplace morale. It is also effective to find alternative techniques
and untried solutions, allowing creativity and making employees
more focused.
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Ethical Issues and Dilemma 3. Discrimination and Harassment
Discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, disability, and
Ethical Issue other related factors has not just credoss an ethical line but also a
legal one.
It is a condition where moral conflict arises in the workplace where
moral standards are challenged. Companies are vigilant in avoiding costly legal and public
backlash related to discrimination and harassment. This leads to
In creating the company’s code of ethics, they must first identify any more subtle ways of committing these offenses, from seemingly
potential ethical issues that might arise, such as the following: “harmless” off-color jokes to a more common “group think”
mentality.
1. Unethical Leadership
Having issues with a superior is one thing and reporting it is Disengaging conversations that lead to discrimination and
another. Issues can come in any form, from manipulating numbers harassing territory is a good start. Never show enthusiasm with
in a report to spending company money on inappropriate “jokes” with malicious intent, and as always, talking to HR is the
activities. best solution.
However, these can occur subtly in the form of bullying and 4. Unrealistic and Conflicting Goals
accepting inappropriate gifts from suppliers. Companies often set goals that are unrealistic, even unattainable,
to motivate employees. While not unethical in and of itself, it is
The best way to address this is by dealing with the superior and how leaders and employees go about reaching the goals that raise
how it affects the team’s productivity. If it escalates, HR should be ethical red flags.
involved to mitigate it.
Unrealistic objectives can put heightened pressure on their
2. Toxic Workplace Culture employees, causing them to cut corners or breach ethical or legal
Superiors who easily dismiss bribery or data manipulation are at guidelines just to obtain them.
risk of disrespecting and putting their employees at risk.
Making sure that a goal is attainable should be practiced as well
With the mindset of hiring someone “culturally fit,” a toxic culture as setting up a good timetable and plan for its execution.
can be worsened by repopulating the company with like-minded
personalities with toxic mentalities.
Ethical Dilemma
It is encouraged to lead with respect to the code of ethics as well
as taking into consideration of everyone’s mental and physical It is a problem between two (2) feasible options wherein neither is
wellness. acceptable from an ethical perspective.
Ethical dilemmas are complicated challenges that cannot easily be
solved, making the ability to find the ideal solution critical to everyone.
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Ways to Solve an Ethical Dilemma
The biggest challenge here is that it never offers an obvious solution
that would comply with ethical norms.
Here are some approaches to solving ethical dilemmas:
• Reject the dilemma: Situations must be carefully analyzed
as in some cases; ethical dilemmas can be logically refuted.
• Value theory approach: Determine an alternative that offers
the greater good or the lesser evil than the other.
• Find alternative solutions: Problems can be viewed through
a different lens, resulting in alternative solutions.
Ethical Issue vs. Ethical Dilemma
An ethical issue can be addressed based on simply adhering to the
provided code of ethics. The ethical decision-making process for an
ethical issue should occur quickly, leading to an easier resolution,
since the conflict between principles is not present.
On the other hand, an ethical dilemma exists when two (2) or more
ethical principles or standards conflict with each other.
References:
Association for Computing Machinery (2022). ACM code of ethics
Example of an Ethical Issue and Ethical Dilemma:
and professional conduct. [Web Article]. Retrieved on July 12,
2022, from https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics
An ethical issue is when an employee purposely deceives the
Corporate Finance Institute (2022) Ethical dilemma. [Web Article].
company by not disclosing all relevant capabilities, limitations, and
Retrieved on July 13, 2022, from
potential problems of a system. The solution is easy as it is a clear
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other
ethical violation.
/ethical-dilemma/
Michigan State University (2022) 5 common ethical issues in the
It will become an ethical dilemma for the employee if his transparency workplace. [Web Article]. Retrieved on July 13, 2022, from
leads other involved co-workers taken down with him. It would directly
https://www.michiganstateuniversityonline.com/resources/leade
“harm” others, and it is an ethical responsibility to avoid harming
rship/common-ethical-issues-in-the-workplace/
others. NSBEP Notes. (n.d.a.). Ethical issues versus ethical dilemmas. [PDF
File]. Retrieved on July 12, 2022, from
https://www.nsbep.org/downloads/Ethical_Issue_vs_Dilemma.p
df
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