Code of Ethical Conduct in the Workplace - Essay Example

 Code of Ethical Conduct in the Workplace Ethics can be defined as the concepts, basic and fundamental and which are portrayed by a human being. These concepts define human rights. The situation Natasha is faced with is a work space problem. As information shared by a parent to two teachers spreads amongst colleagues in the school, and it could taint the image of both Dennis and her mother. Since teachers are human beings and capable of mistakes and this could lead to errors and eventually end up causing the student; Dennis harm. The harm does not necessarily have to be physically inflicted, but by error a teacher could easily spill it out while trying to stop Dennis from his over the board behavior and if the rest of the students get a hold of such information they would spread it and cause embarrassment to Dennis who is vulnerable at the moment. Another negative harm could be Dennis’s mother getting a hold of the spread of information which she gave out in confidentiality and end up withdrawing her son form school and even a possible transfer. There is no way the outcome of this situation can be anticipated, though the negative outcome seems to overpower the positive. Thus, Natasha has to weigh the situation well so as to ensure whatever decision she makes neither Dennis’ nor the teachers reputation gets ruined. Natasha is a teacher to Dennis thus she has an obligation to protect Dennis’s rights as his student but also a friend to Gal she has to maintain a workable professional courtesy. Most situations do not allow time for one to go back to the NAEYC code book to refer as they require prompt response for damage control. Natasha deals with such a situation. The problem is a work place problem which involves ethics. It is an ethical dilemma as Natasha’s decision falls between whether to protect Dennis or to protect Gail. The NAEYC code 1-2.2 on ethical responsibility to families dictates that we should develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve. This thus, forces Natasha to ensure that Dennis’s mother does not regret trusting her son’s teachers with confidential information so as to maintain the trust. The ethics code under code P-2.12 protect Dennis’s rights: This forces Natasha to have knowledge of the code at heart to ensure that whatever decision she makes does not ruin her reputation as a teacher to the parents and students. “We shall maintain confidentiality and shall respect the family’s right to privacy, refraining from disclosure of confidential information and intrusion into family life. However, when we have reason to believe that a child’s welfare is at risk, it is permissible to share confidential information with agencies, as well as with individuals who have legal responsibility for intervening in the child’s interest.”(naeyc.org) Her reputation also matters to her colleagues; the other teachers thus, her actions should not be malicious or aimed at causing harm to Gail as she is also protected under code 1-3A.1 This code states that we should establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers. This case presents a straight forward case which would have easily been solved by Natasha informing Gail of her actions and the consequences. Thus, it would be considered a finesse case and a solution easily solved without making any hard decisions. Gail though worsened the situation by later discussing the situation further with other colleagues who had been discussing Dennis’s behavior on that particular day. Her last actions was after being informed by Natasha of the results of what she had done in short she did not understand what was ethically expected of her as a teacher. Her actions were justified having the ethics code internalized in her mind she sought possible solutions and ended up with one that required her to find a way of getting through to Gail without jeopardizing their friendship. She spoke to the principal in confidentiality. Gail acted as she did as she did not see the large picture; the consequences of her action. A young child who would have scarred for life if such information leaked out of school. The possibility of Dennis becoming suicidal so as to erase the shame brought upon him by his teachers. Losing her job as the board would consider her ethically unfit to teach and guide. Losing her friend Natasha who would probably have lost her job too as they both knew Dennis’ situation yet Natasha did nothing to control the damage. Or even a law suit for breaching the teacher- student trust and causing harm to a minor. All these are just possible effects of Gail’s actions if Natasha had not acted on time. There are so many things Natasha could have done to stop Gail from discussing Dennis’s situation including; immediately warding her off such discussion as soon as she started talking, reporting her to the principal, or calling Dennis’s mother and letting her know of Gail’s actions. All these situations offer some sort of solution to the problem. Natasha’s action to consult her knowledge of the code of ethics saved her relationship with her colleague, she ensures that Dennis’s mother never got to hear what happened in school and at the same time safe guarded Dennis’s privacy by warding off Natasha. The principal also decided to include ethic classes to the staff; this is also another positive thing that came out of Natasha’s actions. The final decision made by Natasha seemed to have benefitted al around her. As the guideline for solving ethical dilemma directs, it justifiable to the community at large. She maintained all relationships yet solved the problem. It was best for her profession, as she maintained the work relations and also gave the principal a reason to offer ethic classes to the rest of the teachers. Natasha’s decision ensured that all the relationships remained respected. Dennis’s mother would never get to find out what Gail had done. Thus, the parent teacher relationship would be maintained. Natasha got to keep her friend who hopefully learnt the essence of maintaining work ethics. Ethics are guidelines set to help give direction in work places as it is an environment where people from different back ground converge. These people often have differences that if not considered and catered for would lead to chaos. References NAECY. (2005). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment (n.d). Retrieved from; http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf, 28 Feb, 2013. Feeney, S., & N.K.Freeman. (2005). Ethics and the early childhood educator: Using the NAEYC Code. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Read More