Transcript Ethics and the Workplace Writer

Chapter 4
Ethics and the
Workplace Writer
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
A Matter of Trust
 Every professional community has its own
standards, and you are personally responsible
for engaging in ethical practices and behaviors.
 We are guided by these expectations of trust:
 Trustworthy information to guide our decisions
 Trust in others' behaviors
 Trust in the products and services we buy
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethics and the PSA
Ethical choices influence:
 Planning: what to report and not to
report
 Research: what to gather, where to
look, and how to organize
 Drafting: how to organize the
document to be persuasive
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
What is Ethics?
 Ethics are principles of right and wrong.
 Ethics are local and contingent, based in a
specific community.
 Ethics depend on prior training and awareness
of context.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Study of Ethics
 Metaethics: where ethics come from
 Normative ethics: how we arrive at ethical
standards
 Applied ethics: how the two areas above relate to
particular issues
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Recognizing ethics as more
than simple choices requires
an analysis of contexts and
classifications to make
informed ethical/rhetorical
decisions.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethics and the
Workplace Writer
 Writers must recognize ethical and rhetorical
decisions and explain those decisions to others.
 Ethical awareness helps individuals to make
informed decisions and to see ethical
implications they never considered before.
 More accurate and ethical workplace writing
should reduce human disasters.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethical Guidelines for
Workplace Writers
 Guideline 1: Rules and Laws Are Not the Same
 Guideline 2: Be Honest
 Guideline 3: Respect Confidentiality
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rules and Laws
Are Not the Same
 A good rule to live by is “Just because I can
doesn't mean I should.”
 Writers are responsible for the legal power
contained in documents like insurance policies.
 Laws hold companies accountable for harm
caused by documents and protect writers who do
act ethically.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rules and Laws
Are Not the Same
 Liability Laws
 Protect individuals from defective products, accidents,
or inappropriate actions by individuals or companies
 Environmental Laws
 Address issues such as energy use, waste disposal,
land use, and water rights
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rules and Laws
Are Not the Same
 Copyright Laws
 Give owners of audio recordings, films, software, and
graphic arts the right to display, publish, reproduce,
license, and distribute them
 Patent Laws
 Protect the rights of inventors and creators to
produce, use, or sell their products
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rules and Laws
Are Not the Same
 Trademark and Servicemark Laws
 Protect names, symbols, devices, or words that
accompany goods or services
 Contract Laws
 Make written agreements legally binding
 Provide solutions to disputes when those agreements
have been breached
 Workplace writers need to be aware of what contracts
are in place in order to act ethically
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Be Honest
Disseminating false information is both illegal
and unethical, and this includes obscuring the
truth or vaguely representing it.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Be Honest
 Workplace writers have an ethical responsibility
to present information in a clear, concise, and
coherent manner by:
 using clear and concise language
 identifying the sources that inform their documents
 Honesty also applies to behavior in the
workplace, including:
 minimizing time spent on non-work-related issues
 being mindful of “the public good,” how individual
behaviors effect others
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Respect Confidentiality
 Wrongly releasing sensitive information can cost
a company contracts, money, jobs, or reputation.
 Good workplace writers are clear about what
information can (or should) be made public, and
they obtain documented permission to release
information when necessary.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
There are no formulas or
definite rules when it
comes to ethics.
Ethical choices can only
be made in context.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Questions for Understanding
an Ethical Situation
 What is my reason for writing this document?
 Who is effected?
 What authority do I have in conveying this
information?
 What are the ramifications for conveying
information this way?
 What responses is this document likely to
invoke?
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethics in Context
 Circulation
 Because technology allows easy and rapid circulation,
consider both your own accountability and what
others can do with your documentation.
 Revision and Editing
 Even the slightest changes to a document can change
or obscure the information being conveyed.
 Be clear in your goals, and make sure all parties
understand the extent of the revisions being made.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Codes of Ethics
 Address issues such as:




harassment
grievances
employee relations
basic business practices
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethics and Technology
 Email
 Can be accessed by others or used to distribute false
information to a wide audience
 Websites
 May look official, but may not contain legitimate
information
 Visuals
 Can be easily forged or distorted
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Environmental Ethics
 What we do in the workplace effects the world
around us.
 Environmental ethics addresses natural
environments as well as all the spaces and places
where humans interact.
 Ethical choices made by workplace writers can
affect not only the lives of people but also the
environments in which we all live.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Avoid Deceptive or
Evasive Language
 Ambiguous subjects
 “Numerous,” “a few”
 Such language fails to report information accurately.
 The passive voice
 “The accident was caused by an oversight”
 No subject accepts responsibility for the accident.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Don’t Obscure the Issue
 Abstract Language
 “truth,” “freedom,” or “happiness”
 This terms are open to multiple interpretations, which
may not be accurate in context.
 Jargon (specialized language)
 Insider terminology can alienate anyone outside of
the specialized audience.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Don’t Obscure the Issue
 Emphasis or Suppression of Information
 All writing involves choices of what to emphasize, but
writers should question whether their choices are fair.
 Give audiences all the information necessary for them
to make informed decisions.
 Plagiarism
 Presenting others’ work without acknowledgment is
unethical, and amounts to stealing.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
The Ethical Writer’s
Checklist
 Is the information presented in my document honest?
 Is the information presented in my document legal?
 How does the information in my document impact local
or global environments?
 Have I used technology to obscure or alter meaning?
 Does my use of visuals accurately represent the truth?
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
The Ethical Writer’s
Checklist
 Does my language obscure the truth in any way?
 Have I used vague, ambiguous, misleading, abstract
language in my document?
 Is my document jargon filled?
 Have I confirmed all information I’ve presented?
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
The Ethical Writer’s
Checklist
 Have I credited all information I have borrowed and
used in the document?
 Have I identified and made known any inaccuracies in
the information?
 Have I violated anyone’s confidentiality?
 Have I accurately represented my organization?
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.