Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Chapter 4 Ethics and the Workplace Writer

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, All Rights Reserved. Ethics and Technology   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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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?