Professional Development Seminar:

1
Professional Development Seminar

• Workplace Ethics

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Importance of Workplace Ethics

• Students are Ambassadors of the Program, the
  Faculty, and the University

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Ethical Factors

• Commit to Employer
• Respect Employers Rules/Regulations/Policies
• Note Confidentiality
• Use Workplace Resources Appropriately
• Display Professional Conduct
• Manage Time Well
• Display Positive Attitude

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Commit to Employer

• Honor acceptance as a contract
• Reneging commitment implies failed work term
• Committed for entire work term
• Start and finish dates are determined by employer
• Make work your top priority

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Respect Employers Rules/Regulations/Policies

• Implicit agreement to abide by employers
  rules/regulations/policies
• Stop, Look, and Listen learn about the
  organizations culture both stated and unstated

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Note Confidentiality

• Some employers require you to sign
  confidentiality agreements to protect the rights
  of their clients
• Respect policies regarding confidential/proprietar
  y information in relation to work reports
• Good practice to avoid discussing employers
  business, clients and competitors outside the
  workplace

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Use Workplace Resources Appropriately

• Keep personal calls to an absolute minimum
• Repay cost of long distance personal calls
• Use employers letterhead and stationary for
  business purposes only
• Use computer for work-related activities only
• Dont abuse e-mail, e.g., forwarding jokes,
  surfing the web, organizing extracurricular
  activities etc.

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Display Professional Conduct

• Use good judgment re attire and personal hygiene
• Attendance be punctual, follow agreed hours, no
  unauthorized coffee breaks, call in if sick, seek
  prior permission for time off etc.
• Keep desk and/or work area neat and well
  organized
• Avoid making offensive jokes or using offensive
  language

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Display Professional Conduct (contd)

• Avoid involvement in office politics and gossip
• Ethical Dilemmas always act in a way that allows
  you to maintain self-respect, integrity, and a
  clean record
• If co-workers engage in unethical practices, you
  should not (remember, you will be judged more
  harshly than permanent employees)
• Declare conflict of interest

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Manage Time Well

• Obtain supervisors input in order to set
  objectives and priorities
• Meet deadlines
• Make constructive use of time
• Talk to your supervisor should you not have
  enough work to keep you busy
• Talk to your supervisor should you consistently
  have more work than you can do and do well
• Seek clarification when confused take notes

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Display Positive Attitude

• Value the opportunity to work
• Bring enthusiasm to the job each and every day
• Go above and beyond basic duties
• Demonstrate interest in your work, co-workers,
  and the organization
• Become part of the team be careful of mixing
  business with pleasure
• Be flexible and open dont whine!

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Keep Co-ordinator Informed

• Victim of personal and/or sexual harassment
• Laid off from job, regardless of cause (e.g.
  budget cuts, buyouts, work shortage etc.)
• Warned about being fired
• Fired
• Having problems with supervisor that you have
  tried to address, but to no avail
• Stressed out due to some aspect of the job

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Conclusion

• Work Ethic is visible!
• Easy to ruin your reputation and very difficult
  to recover and rebuild!