Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

1. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

2. The Nature of Professionalism Dave Isenberg

3. What is professionalism? -The following of a profession, sport, etc., as an occupation; -Webster’s Dictionary -The expertness characteristic of a professional person -Wordnet (Princeton University) “To be a professional is to be responsible and accountable for using one's special skills to give careful and constant consideration to the impact of one's products and services on others” (Gotterbarn 1991)

4. Traits of a Professional Attributes • Extensive intellectual training • Common body of knowledge • Skills are vital to society • Monopoly on service provided Benefits/Responsibilities • Self-regulated • Privilege/prestige • Code of ethics

5. Professionals vs. Society Professionals Agree to: • Service • Self-Regulation Society Agrees to: • Autonomy • Social Status • High Pay

6. Professional Behavior Encompasses Ethical Behavior • Non-disclosure of confidential information • Reporting to work • Reporting absences • Telephone use • Use of equipment: fax, copier, etc. • Smoking regulations • Timed break periods • Security procedures • Dress code Source: http://www.stratagememployees.com/standards_of_professionalism.htm

7. Various Forms of Professional Credentialing Dan Siegman

8. Professional Credentialing • What are credentials? • Credentials are that which entitle one to: • Confidence - Others can trust in your ability to perform a task correctly. • Credit - You have met certain standards in training, education, etc. • Authority - You can make decisions on in your field and judge the work of others. • Show proof that you have met certain standards. • Often involves education or training, and a practical examination. • Includes several catagories • Certification • Accreditation • Licensure

9. Various Forms • Certification – provides confirmation of an individual's qualifications in a specified profession or occupational specialty • Implies an assurance that an individual possesses a specific knowledge or skill level pertaining to an occupation. • Issued by an organization • May apply on a national or international scale • Voluntary • Licensure – illegal for person to practice a profession without meeting state standards • The most restrictive form of professional and occupational regulation. • May vary from state to state • Accreditation – designates that an organization or business has met a combination of standards and abilities that are put in place for public safety, welfare and confidence. • Things (Hospitals, colleges, etc.) are accredited. People are certified.

10. Use of Credentialing • Your work may impact the lives of others – failure may hurt them. This must be avoided. • Used in many fields, but is especially important when the general public may be affected. Examples: • Medicine • Teaching • Engineering • Even a commercial drivers liscence is a form of professional credentialing. • Usually applies to a specific area within a field. • For example, certification to design a bridge does not mean you are certified to design a power plant. • Those who require your services need must be able to trust that you are competant to perform that service.

11. Obtaining credentials • Credentials are issued by a group of some sort – such as an educational instituation, organization, or corporation. • Credentials only carry as much weight as the faith others will put in the issuer. • The standards a person must meet to obtain these credentials is usually publicly displayed. • Some examples of credentials • University offers a bachelor's degree in computer science • University itself is accredited • Microsoft certifies people to use their operating system on servers in a business environment with the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers certification (MCSE) • IEEE's Computer Society offers Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP).

12. Sources • The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition • Binghamton University Bulletin 2000-2001 • http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mcse/default.asp • http://computer.org/certification/

13. Ethical Dissent and Whistle-Blowing BG Boyd

14. Ethical Dissent • Likely to start by an employee noticing that things are not right, and attempting to get them changed by talking to people in the organization. • It can end easily, with changes made quickly • or it can end by involving many agencies, lawyers, legal systems, and public proceedings. • Does not need to go as far as public allegations. • Involve as little as making a well supported suggestion that policy be changed • Becomes whistleblowing when dissent is made public by going outside the organization

15. Definition of Whistle Blowing • a. Raising concerns about misconduct within an organization [sic] or within an independent structure associated with it (Nolan Committee). • b. Giving information (usually to the authorities) about illegal and underhand practices (Chambers). • c. Exposing to the press a malpractice or cover-up in a business or a government office (US, Brewers).

16. Things to think about before you blow the whistle. • Make sure of your motivation • Don't be led astray by motives of pride or revenge. • Count the cost • Be aware of the significant costs involved. • Gather the necessary evidence • Make sure you have the evidence to back up your claims. • It may be too late after you have gone public. • Protect your own interests • Make sure you are ready to protect yourself. • Choose the right avenue for your disclosure • The media may not always be the best. • Make your disclosure in the right spirit. • Don’t become identified as a "disgruntled former employee”.

17. Good or Bad? • Whistleblowers are protected by both federal and state laws. • Whistleblowing rarely works out well for the whistleblower • A survey of whistleblowers was taken by a whistleblower. • 233 individuals polled, about 40% responded. • Their average age was 47. • They had been employed at their jobs for an average of 6.5 years before blowing the whistle. • Almost all of those in private industry lost their jobs. • 51% percent of government employees lost their jobs. • 82% percent said they'd been harassed by superiors • 69% said they were watched closely. • 63% percent reported losing some job responsibilities • 60% said they were fired after launching their complaints. • Almost 10% had attempted suicide. • Only 20% felt that their actions resulted in positive changes in their workplace. • But more than half of them said they would do it again.

18. References http://www.accd.edu/pac/philosop/phil1301/whistlebl.htm http://www.computingcases.org/case_materials/hughes/support_docs/whistleblowing/ethical_dissent.html

19. "Acceptable Use" Policies in the Workplace Seth Levenberg

20. Acceptable Use Policies • Acceptable Use Policies can be a great help to companies enforcing them, but also an ethical dilemma for the enforcers, with such concerns as: • Should employees’ Internet usage be monitored? • Should employees’ e-mails be read? • Should employees be aware of this monitoring? • And finally, should employees have privacy while at work? • On the other hand, in the workplace… • Effective Acceptable Use Policies implemented by employers can be a great help to the company in the following ways: • Increase employee productivity • Avoid misrepresentation • Avoid legal liabilities • Conserve bandwidth usage • Enhance security

21. Acceptable Use Policies • Employee Productivity • Even though the Internet is a source for much productivity, employees could use the Internet for activities such as: • Reading news • Online shopping • Chatting with friends • Check on stocks • Job hunting (the irony of it all) • As you can see, letting employees surf the Internet during work hours can lead to tremendous productivity losses due to the distractions mentioned above. • Should Internet privileges be limited to employees and monitored? • Monitoring employee Internet usage can easily reduce these above distractions

22. Acceptable Use Policies • Legal Liabilities • Some of the legal liabilities of allowing employees free reign on their Internet usage include: • Sexual harassment by means of e-mail and messaging • Copyright infringement (downloading audio/video) • Displaying or transferring sexually explicit material being offensive to others • Visiting racist/prejudiced sites • The above can all lead to misrepresentation of the company, as webmasters can easily find out from where traffic is coming • Misrepresentation can be disastrous for a company if rivals used it to their advantage • Once again, monitoring Internet usage can eliminate all of these possible legal issues to protect the best interest of the company

23. Acceptable Use Policies • Bandwidth Usage • Bandwidth usage is usually wasted by employees visiting non-work related sites, using peer-to-peer file transferring programs, and using the network for personal use (such as e-mail and messaging) • Having an effective acceptable use policy will also save all of this wasted bandwidth by not allowing such uses during work hours • Security Issues • Monitoring employee’s network usage can greatly enhance the security of the company, a few examples may be protecting against: • Unhappy employees sharing company secrets • Employees accidentally sending company documents to clients (attaching wrong files) • Possible virus threats • Once again, employers are faced with the ethical concerns of reading employees’ e-mails

24. Acceptable Use Policies • When it comes to creating an acceptable use policy, employers should be somewhat flexible and recognize that different employees have different jobs, some needing the ability to surf the Web • Another question of what to allow employees to do during non-work hours arises with an acceptable use policy • If employees are subjected to an acceptable use policy, they should fully understand why the policy exists, and should be made aware of consequences for not adhering to the policy • An effective policy should include: • Acceptable places on the Internet for employees to go • Whether or not, and when employees can use the network for personal use • Explicit details of exactly what employees cannot do • Violation consequences • Employers should strictly enforce these policies to ensure that the company gets the full potential of their workers

25. Sources • http://www.surfcontrol.com • http://www.surfcontrol.com/general/assets/whitepapers/InternetAbuseAtWork_9_2001.pdf • http://www.surfcontrol.com/general/assets/whitepapers/Raisingbusinessefficiency.pdf • http://www.surfcontrol.com/general/assets/whitepapers/aupus_0212.pdf • http://www.bitpipe.com/data/detail?id=1031929940_55&type=RES&src=av_reports • http://www.opsec.com/solutions/partners/downloads/n2h2_liability_whitepaper.pdf

26. Dealing with Harassment and Discrimination Ben Darfler

27. Definitions • Discrimination: • To treat a person based on class or category rather than individual merit. • Harassment: • To irritate or torment persistently.

28. Legal Obligations • What Are the Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination? • The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) • Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) • The Civil Rights Act of 1991

29. Ethical Obligations • Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin, or other such factors is an explicit violation of ACM policy and will not be tolerated. -ACM Code of Ethics • Treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin. -IEEE Code of Ethics

30. What Your Protected Against • Discrimination in any aspect of employment • Hiring and firing • Transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall • Fringe benefits • Pay, retirement plans, and disability leave • Other terms and conditions of employment

31. What Your Protected Against • Other Discriminatory Practices • Harassment • Retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination • Employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions

32. What if it Happens to You? • Be Sure You Have a Case • Over 60% of all complaints filled are found to have no reasonable cause. • File a Formal Charge • Contact The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at www.eeoc.gov or 1-800-669-4000 • Alternative Dispute Resolution • Mediation promotes a better work environment, reduces costs and works for the employer and the employee.

33. Resources • www.acm.com • www.dictionary.com • www.eeoc.gov • www.ieee.com • www.usdoj.gov

34. Thank You