Work Ethics and Values

Define your ethical framework to avoid any ethical dilemmas or make solving themeasier

Duration : 1 day

Workshop Overview:

This workshop will not provide you with an easy way to solve every ethical decision you will

ever have to make. It will, however, help you define your ethical framework to make solving

those ethical dilemmas easier. We’ll also look at some tools that you can use when you’re

faced with an ethical decision. And, we’ll look at some techniques you can use so you don’t

get stuck in an ethical quandary. Best of all, we’ll look at a lot of case studies so that you can

practice making decisions in a safe environment

Who should attend?

All employees ,all tiers

Benefits: by the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

 Understand the difference between ethics and morals

 Understand the value of ethics

 Identify some of their values and moral principles

 Use philosophical approaches to ethical decisions

 Improve ethics in their office

 Start developing an office code of ethics

 Avoid ethical dilemmas

 Use tools to help them make better decisions

 Deal with common ethical dilemmas

Content:

What is Ethics?

To start the day, we will discuss what the words “ethics” and “morals” mean. Participants will

also have an opportunity to identify some of their personal values.

Assessing your moral values part 1

Before we begin discussing how to make good decisions, students will be asked to think

about how they would respond to some sticky situations.

Why Bother with Ethics?

During this session, we will look at some of the payoffs of ethical behavior.

Kohlberg’s Six Stages

This session will explore Kohlberg’s six stages of moral development through a lecture and a

small group exercise.

Some Objective Ways of Looking at the World

We will look at some classic philosophical approaches to problems during this session,

including the golden rule, utilitarianism, and the categorical imperative. Participants will also

apply these approaches to some hypothetical situations.

What Does Ethical Mean?

What seems to be the ethical choice can differ depending on what side of the dilemma

you’re on. To illustrate this, we will look at the case of Merck Pharmaceuticals in a lecture

and in small groups.

Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas

This session will examine some ways that we can avoid getting stuck in ethical dilemmas.

Then, participants will apply the methods to a case study.

Pitfalls and Excuses

We can always find excuses to make the wrong decision. This session will look at some of

the most common reasons for bad decisions and offer some thinking points.

Developing an Office Code of Ethics

This session will look at what a code of ethics should contain, how to determine if your

company is ready for a code, and some sample codes of ethics.

22 Keys to an Ethical workplace

Ethics expert Nan DeMars has identified 22 keys to help make your office ethical. We will

review these keys in a lecture, and then participants will be asked to identify some ways to

use the ideas to help resolve areas of ethical concern in their office.

Basic Decision Making Tools

This session will look at a basic three-phase problem solving model and some problem

solving tools.

Ethical Decision Making Tools

In addition to the basic problem solving tools covered in the previous session, there are

some special tools that you can use to solve ethical problems. We will discuss some basic

tools (such as the smell test and the shoe test) and some advanced tools (such as the Potter

box and the Kidder process).

Dilemmas with Company Policy

It is possible that your company’s policies will place you in an ethical dilemma. This session

will look at some things that you can do if this happens.

Dilemmas with Co-Workers

During this session, we will look at some ethical dilemmas that co-workers can create. First,

we will discuss some basic tips in a lecture, and then participants will complete a case study.

Dilemmas with Clients

Clients can sometimes request that we do something unethical for a number of reasons.

This session will examine some of the most common reasons. Then, participants will role

play some possible scenarios.

Dilemmas and Supervisors

This session will cover some dilemmas you might encounter as a supervisor, and some

dilemmas that supervisors might put you in.

What to do When You Make a Mistake

Let’s face the truth: we’re all human. We all make mistakes and make decisions that we wish

we could take back. This session will examine Nan DeMars’ six-step plan for recovering from

mistakes gracefully.

Assessing your moral values part two

At the beginning of the workshop, participants were asked to think about how they would

handle some sticky situations. Participants will now be asked to re-evaluate their decisions in

light of everything they have learned.