Dealing With Critical Ethical and Professional Issues

An honest assessment, and possibly outside resources, can aid in remedying questionable working situations.

by Sheree Clark
December/January 2007

Q: The people I work with and I have opposing principles, and I really don’t have a lot of respect for the way things are done around here. Until now I have closed my eyes, but it’s harder to do these days. What are my options?

While I understand your angst, your use of the term values is a little vague. Are we talking about questionable business practices and ethical lapses, or about some kind of harassment of you personally? Are the people you work with blatantly lacking in morals, or is it merely that the corporate culture is too relaxed for you? There is a pretty long continuum when it comes to what we individually defi ne as values, principles, integrity, etc. The fi rst step is to do an assessment of the rift between you and them and determine whether the possibility of a remedy exists.

Sometimes there just is no “gray” area. Identify a trusted colleague or peer with whom you can explore the topic of values in the workplace. Start the conversation in general terms, perhaps by asking what he or she likes best about the job and employer, and try to get a sense of his or her comfort level with the topic. If it seems appropriate, share your own observations and ask for feedback about your circumstances. Be careful not to let the conversation turn into a “gripe session.” While it is not essential that you have the support of a third party, a reality check can help uncover insights you might overlook.

And while you’re at it, you should ask yourself some thoughtprovoking questions about the situation: When did my feelings of mismatched values or priorities start? Was there a watershed moment that I can identify? How is this situation affecting me personally? Am I losing sleep or feeling generally more stressed out? Is my work suffering? Can I live with it if nothing changes? Has this ever happened to me before? Is it possible that I am stuck in a repeating pattern? Do other people in the organization seem to feel the same way that I do, or is it just me who perceives a problem? What needs to happen for me to feel the situation has been resolved? How far am I willing to go to find the resolution? Do I want to stay here? After evaluating your own role in the situation, identify the nature of the issue that needs to be addressed.

The way that you handle the sort of circumstances that you are facing will vary based on how personal the issue is, as well as the potential for legal issues. Business practice-related issues: The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) has released a series of brochures exploring critical ethical and professional issues encountered by designers. The series, titled Design Business and Ethics, examines key concerns a designer faces in maintaining a successful practice. Authored by industry leaders from across the country, each brochure offers practical ideas for approaching design issues. Many of the tenets described in the AIGA’s publications can also be applied to designers operating in corporate or inhouse design settings. One brochure you should review is :

“Business and Ethical Expectations for Professional Designers” (to download, visit www.aiga.org). Additionally, the AIGA publishes Standards of Professional Practice in which it specifically addresses:

• The designer’s responsibility to clients
• The designer’s responsibility to other designers
• Fees
• Publicity
• Authorship
• The designer’s responsibility to the public
• The designer’s responsibility to society and the environment

If your area of concern is specifically dealt with in one of the AIGA’s brochures or codes, you might use the document as a springboard for conversation with the leaders in your organization.

It is entirely possible that your colleagues are unaware that their behavior is not in keeping with our profession’s standards. Be advised, however, you may be perceived as condescending or self-righteous and your efforts not universally embraced. If the attitude you find troubling is prevalent within the organization, it’s possible you’ll be seen as a troublemaker and be treated accordingly. Before you take action, you’ll want to realistically assess your chances of effecting change.
Corporate culture-related issues:

All organizations have personalities and—just as with people—those personalities can evolve over time. The changes may be the result of growth and the addition of new staff, or could have come about because of outside infl uences such as an economic downturn or increased competition. Policy changes can affect morale and result in a climate shift within the organization.

It can be very stressful to be in a company that “isn’t the same place it was,” regardless of reasons for the transformation. Similarly, new hires sometimes discover that they misjudged the personality of the group when they accepted a job, and now fi nd themselves feeling miscast or even outcast. If you work in a larger corporation or fi rm, you might be able to manage the situation by seeking to relocate within the organization. A move to another team or even a change in where you sit can make an uncomfortable situation more tolerable.

If you discover that it’s not only you who feels that a cultural rift exists that needs to be fi xed, you may turn to an outside facilitator. An organizational consultant can facilitate a discussion or develop a series of exercises designed to help the group discover solutions and workable compromises. It may even be possible to work through cultural issues without an outside resource, if there is a particularly skilled communicator on the staff or management team.


Employment law-related issues:
Matters that relate to employment, personnel policy and behavior in the workplace are often more complex and may lead you to seek professional counsel. Such issues include sexual harassment, favoritism, discrimination, hostile work environment, etc. If your situation involves or could potentially involve employment law, the first steps that you take are very important. You should try in good faith to resolve the problem. This usually includes having a meeting with the human resources department and/or the offending party or parties in the workplace. You may also want to take the precautionary step of talking to an attorney who specializes in employment law, especially if you are not optimistic about the outcome. You’ll want to document your conversations or actions, in case you end up in a dispute or litigation.

Recommended resources:
How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress: How Leaders and Their Employees Can Protect Their Sanity and Productivity from Tension and Turf Wars, by Anna Maravelas, $14.99, Career Press, www.amazon.com How Honesty Pays: Restoring Integrity to the Workplace, by Charles E. Watson, $39.95, Praeger Publishers, www.amazon.com Your Rights in the Workplace, by Barbara Kate Repa, $29.99, Nolo Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership, by Marvin T. Brown, $75, Cambridge University Press, www.amazon.com The Balanced Company: A Corporate Integrity Theory, by Muel Kaptein and Johan Wempe, $44.50, Oxford University Press, www.amazon.com A Better Way to Think About Business: How Personal Integrity Leads to Corporate Success, by Robert C. Solomon, $15.95, Oxford University Press, www.amazon.com The Corporate Culture Survival Guide, by Edgar H. Schein, $26.95, Jossey-Bass Publishers, www.amazon.com

About the author:
Sheree Clark is managing partner of Sayles Graphic Design in Des Moines, Iowa; an author and speaker on organizational and business issues; and owner of Art/Smart Consulting, which provides selfpromotion and business strategies to creative professionals