Ethical Communication and Personal Experiences

Module 5: Discussion Forum

Initial Post (200 words)

The five principles of ethics and APA are:

• Beneficence
• Fidelity and responsibility
• Integrity
• Justice
• Respect for others’ rights

As a communication format, it is important to abide by these ethical principles to support ethical communication. Being aware of our own emotional responses is a good first step in maintaining ethical communication as is understanding how our communication and behaviors influence those around us. Consider a time when you experienced unethical communication. Describe the situation. What were the elements that contributed to the communication being unethical? How were those affected by unethical communication influenced? What could have been done to improve the communication?

Be sure to post an initial, substantive response by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. MT and respond to 2 or more peers with substantive responses by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT. A substantive initial post answers the question presented completely and/or asks a thoughtful question pertaining to the topic. Respond to the original post of at least 2 of your peers. Substantive peer responses ask a thoughtful question pertaining to the topic and/or answers a question (in detail) posted by another student or the instructor.

Responses

Respond to each Peer in 100 words

Heather Y.

During a previous job I was put in a situation involving 2 unethical communications. A direct report had submitted an expense report that included charges that I knew were not work related. My initial feelings were of anger and disbelief that she would do such a thing that was a blatant violation of not only company policy, but just “wrong”. To me, this was a matter of trust and integrity. I discussed this with my supervisor who told me to let it go. His reasoning is that it was not worth my time; that I needed to pick and choose my battles and that ultimately her performance was what mattered. I was surprised at his response. In the end, I didn’t follow his advice. I sent her an email stating that I thought she may have included some personal charges, that only she knew what they for and that I trusted her to act with integrity before resubmitting it. i emailed so that she would have time to think about it vs getting defensive by being put on the spot. She never responded to my note, but she did resubmit– without the personal charges. Even though when given a second chance, she made the ethical decision; I had a hard time trusting her again. I also lost respect for my supervisor.  It unfortunately ended up being one of many situations where I felt that my supervisor did not value ethical behavior. 

Tyler L.

Hey everyone,

There have definitely been quite a few instances where I have experienced unethical communication. Most times it has been people around me, but there was one time where I experienced it myself.  Working at restaurants, especially very busy ones, brings a lot of chaos. While having a shift meeting before our night shift started, my manager had given me negative feedback on side work that I had done beforehand in front of all of my team members. 

Elements that contributed to the communication being unethical:

Lack of privacy: Giving negative feedback in front of colleagues can be embarrassing and humiliating for the employee, which can harm their self-esteem and confidence.

Lack of respect: The manager did not respect the employee’s feelings or privacy, which can damage the trust and respect between them.

Power imbalance: The manager has a position of power over the employee, which can make the employee feel powerless and helpless in the situation.

I was embarrassed, degraded, and enraged at my management as a result as an employee. I became discouraged and lost motivation as a result of this. The negative criticism may have also made my coworkers uncomfortable or anxious, which could lead to a hostile or tense work atmosphere. My feelings and privacy would have been preserved if the manager had provided the comments in a discrete and respectful manner. To aid in my development and learning, they could have counterbalanced the unfavorable comments with some constructive criticism or suggestions.