Before coming to your training, please do the following:
Ethics, morals, and legalities play important roles in your daily interactions with associates and in other areas of your life. The way you interact with associates today will model how you maintain high morals and ethics within the workplace. It is important to remember that just because something is legal doesn't necessarily mean it is ethical. Ethics violations make national headlines almost on a daily basis, and while the violators may or may not go to jail, they have certainly demonstrated a lack of honor.
Our society often tries to minimize the importance of having high standards of moral conduct, but God has taught that His standards should not be lowered in any way. As you work with your associates, remember your role as an example of ethical behavior and high morals.
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Reflect on the importance of each of the following principles, and write two examples in your learner's journal of when the principles have helped you in your work.
Individually, define the terms morals, ethics, and legality. Record your definitions. After a few minutes, discuss the following questions as a group:
Discuss the following definitions and how they are different even though people tend to use them interchangeably.
Discuss the following questions:
Situational ethics take into account the particular context of an act when evaluating it, rather than just looking at the guiding beliefs of the group or community.
Read the following quote:
“Easily riled and quick to complain, [Laman and Lemuel] could scarcely remember their last rescue long enough to meet their next difficulty. Instead, lacking gospel perspective, the situational cares of the day, like worry over a broken bow, of all things, dominated the things of eternity. Ours, too, is a day of every-man-for-himself situational ethics, as if the Ten Commandments came from a focus group!” (Neal A. Maxwell, “Lessons from Laman and Lemuel,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 8).
Discuss the following questions:
Discuss examples from the workplace where it is critical to be steadfast in our ethical responsibilities. (Examples may include preselecting merchandise or offering inappropriate discounts to friends.)
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Read the Ethical Checklist (Charted Institute of Management Accountants [2015]) and discuss your ethical decision-making process.
Record your answers in your learner's journal.
Framing is the idea that our ethical judgments are affected by how a question or issue is posed or viewed. Watch the video “In It To Win: Jack & Framing” (Ethics Unwrapped, University of Texas at Austin) and answer the discussion questions below the video.
Divide into pairs and choose one of the following case studies to read and discuss. After you’ve discussed the scenarios, share your responses with the group.
John is a middle-aged man who lives alone and supports himself. He was laid off from a computer company where he was an analyst. He did not have a certificate in his field and was let go instead of colleagues with less experience because they had appropriate credentials.
John has been enrolled in the Deseret Industries program for two years and has eight months left to complete his certificate program to be a computer programmer. He enrolled in the program six months after starting at Deseret Industries and has been working his plan successfully despite a few setbacks. John would like to extend his training time through the end of his program, which would place him at almost three years in the program. He does not have a documented disability and has been work-adjusted for nine months.
Becky is a single mother raising five children on her salary at Deseret Industries. She has been in the program for 30 days, and it is time for her first evaluation. Becky has not been working at industry standard in her area despite her job coach trainer working with her one-on-one every day. She refuses to work on the action steps she laid out in her plan. She says being a full-time mother means that she does not have the time or desire to do anything beyond coming to work.
During her evaluation, Becky asks if she has met the requirements to receive her first pay increase. She came into your office in tears because her local Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program's funding has been cut. Without earning extra income, she won't be able to pay her utilities, and they may be shut off. Her bishop also told her that since she is now working full time, the ward cannot continue providing assistance—he told her there are too many other families in greater need.
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Watch the video “Moral Imagination” (Ethics Unwrapped, University of Texas at Austin) and answer the discussion questions below the video.
Discuss the following question:
Discuss the following questions:
Watch the video “Moral Myopia” (Ethics Unwrapped, University of Texas at Austin) and answer the discussion questions below the video.
Seek to identify a personal or business gap or need.
Spend a few minutes silently pondering what you've discussed during this lesson. Listen as the Holy Ghost helps you identify areas where you can improve. Record your impressions in your learner's journal under the question “What Lack I Yet?”
Seek ways to close the gap or develop the required talent(s) to meet the need.
With the guidance of the Spirit, create your plan of how you will improve and close the gap(s) you have identified. You may use one or more of the exercises below, your own strategy, or a combination of both. Record this plan in your learner's journal under “What Must I Do?”
After a few minutes, those who are comfortable doing so can share their impressions with the group.
Seek understanding, and then share what you learned.
During the week, focus on implementing the plan you created. Record your impressions or lessons learned in your learner's journal under “Therefore, What?” You will be given time at the beginning of next week's lesson to share your experience with the group.
Use this material if you would like to learn more about ethics.