Ethics Training
May. 28th, 2008 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreMy company is making everybody do ethics training. They've contracted out some on-line course and I did the first part (of three, I believe) today.
What they have disappointed me so far. For example, they discuss a case where a man and a woman are working to get an overseas client. When they go to meet with the client, he insists the woman not be allowed into the meeting, because women don't do business in that country. Interesting situation - but the training course doesn't have any resolution. (It's also a pretty silly situation, since one would expect that the situation would have come up before this final "close the deal" trip.)
The ones where they did have quiz scenarios were somewhat irritating because my usual answer was "none of the above" (which was not an option). They used an example where a manager told somebody in confidence that the company may have layoffs. Another employee, who was very junior (and, thus, vulnerable to layoffs) then mentioned that she was about to make an offer on a condo and they asked what the person who had been told in confidence about possible layoffs should say. The problem is that I would have already confronted the boss about not passing along the information about impending layoffs.
They also had a quiz at the end which included a question about which of three actions was ethically questionable (with an "all of the above" option). One was going to human resources with an issue without confronting the person involved. The second involved somebody writing a family newsletter on company time. The third one had to do with a supplier buying an employee an expensive cup of coffee.
The answer they wanted was #2. But I could argue in favor or against any of these. The first is probably more a question of etiquette than ethics, but there wasn't enough information about the situation to be sure. While I can understand why they feel #2 was a problem, I don't see a real ethical issue with somebody, say, writing some newsy family e-mail thingy while sitting through a telecon. As for #3, sure it's just a cup of coffee, but that expensive coffee is probably unethical in and of itself, unless it is fair trade coffee so accepting it is tantamount to accepting the exploitation of third world farmers and encouraging cash crops over sustainable agriculture.
It would be really nice if they ever had training that was actually tailored to what we do at work.
What they have disappointed me so far. For example, they discuss a case where a man and a woman are working to get an overseas client. When they go to meet with the client, he insists the woman not be allowed into the meeting, because women don't do business in that country. Interesting situation - but the training course doesn't have any resolution. (It's also a pretty silly situation, since one would expect that the situation would have come up before this final "close the deal" trip.)
The ones where they did have quiz scenarios were somewhat irritating because my usual answer was "none of the above" (which was not an option). They used an example where a manager told somebody in confidence that the company may have layoffs. Another employee, who was very junior (and, thus, vulnerable to layoffs) then mentioned that she was about to make an offer on a condo and they asked what the person who had been told in confidence about possible layoffs should say. The problem is that I would have already confronted the boss about not passing along the information about impending layoffs.
They also had a quiz at the end which included a question about which of three actions was ethically questionable (with an "all of the above" option). One was going to human resources with an issue without confronting the person involved. The second involved somebody writing a family newsletter on company time. The third one had to do with a supplier buying an employee an expensive cup of coffee.
The answer they wanted was #2. But I could argue in favor or against any of these. The first is probably more a question of etiquette than ethics, but there wasn't enough information about the situation to be sure. While I can understand why they feel #2 was a problem, I don't see a real ethical issue with somebody, say, writing some newsy family e-mail thingy while sitting through a telecon. As for #3, sure it's just a cup of coffee, but that expensive coffee is probably unethical in and of itself, unless it is fair trade coffee so accepting it is tantamount to accepting the exploitation of third world farmers and encouraging cash crops over sustainable agriculture.
It would be really nice if they ever had training that was actually tailored to what we do at work.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-30 03:16 am (UTC)