Ethical Issues in Communication

Every business needs to impress upon its employees the importance of

communicating ethically, whether the communication is between company
employees or between company representatives and the outside world.
Employees must be honest, fair, sensitive and respectful in communicating with
one another and in communicating with customers, vendors and the public.

Dishonesty

Honesty refers to telling the truth in its entirety. Using exaggeration or

manipulation seems to be common in business, both in internal
communication and external communication. When honesty is
compromised, people and businesses can lose credibility and respect.

Gender

Difficulties may result from how a person treats the opposite sex or how a
person handles the issue of sexual orientation. For example, if a manager
is kind to men but is harsh and impatient with women, there may be
complaints. It is important to remember that problems can arise not only
from words that people use but also from nonverbal communication.

Religion

A person should keep his religious beliefs to himself, unless he would like
to respond to someone's inquiry about religion. An employee should be
cautious about displaying religious symbols.

Favoritism

Favoritism refers to unfairly rewarding, assisting or punishing someone,

and favoritism can result from inappropriate communication. Employees
need to steer clear of communication practices that can lead to
accusations of favoritism

Business ethics is a subject that can vary greatly from one business to the next as far as how it is
interpreted and implemented within the small business. What may seem ethical to one business
is not to the nextand the same goes for employees. That is why it is important to clearly
communicate the ethical stance of the business to all employees. Employees should not only be
expected to act in an ethical manner, they should also fully understand the ethical stance of the
small business.

Importance of Ethical Communication

In order for employees to effectively understand what the business considers to be ethical
practices, it has to be communicated effectively to employees. Ethical behavior should be
communicated daily to employees and that includes recognizing employees who have acted in an
ethical manner. This not only gives praise to those employees for a job well done, it helps to set
ethical standards for other employees in the business.

Ethics Policy
Every business should have a written ethics policy that details what is expected of employees
within the business. It should communicate what the business believes are its ethical standards
such as always being honest in communications, dealing with customers and other employees
fairly and reporting ethical violations that the employee witnesses. The policy should also outline
the consequences of acting unethically within the small business. This policy should be signed by
employees upon their acceptance of employment as well as reviewed and signed on an annual
basis.

Ethics Training
Because everyones idea of ethics can differ, it is important that the business conduct ethics
training for all employees. Some employees may see taking business supplies for personal use
as unethical whereas they dont believe that taking a business pen home with them is the same.
The business should educate the employees about its own ethical standards through role play as
well as hypothetical scenarios. This can help employees recognize what the business considers
to be ethical and unethical.

Management Role
Managements role in ethical practices for the business is to always demonstrate ethical behavior
in verbal and non-verbal form. Management should reinforce ethical behavior in others with

praise while using unethical behavior as a teaching tool for other employees. In addition,
management should realize they are role models for the business and must act accordingly. If
they expect employees to act in a certain way, they must also act in the same way and lead by
example.

Considerations
In monthly employee meetings, use stories from the news to reiterate the business stance on
ethics. Pass the story out to employees to read and review before the meeting. During the
meeting, discuss the article and have employees identify the ethical and unethical behaviors
demonstrated in the story. Also ask the employees what should have happened and what they
should do if they encounter the same or similar behavior in this business.

Observe Ethics In Correspondence To Become Successful.

The rules of email etiquette are not "rules" in the sense that I will come after you if you don't
follow them. They are guidelines that help avoid mistakes (like offending someone when
you don't mean to) and misunderstandings (like being offended when you're not meant
to). These core rules of email etiquette help us communicate better via email.
1. Take Another Look Before You Send a Message
Don't send anything you don't want to send.

2. Do Not Default to "Reply All"

"Reply" is good. "Reply to All" is better. Right?
3. Keep Emails Short
Do not intimidate recipients with too much text.
4. Properly Format Your Email Replies, and Be Lazy
Do you think quoting original text in your email replies perfectly is a lot of work? Don't let the
'>' intimidate you! Here's a very comfortable, relaxed, quick and still clean and compatible
way to reply properly.
5. Write Perfect Subject Lines
Do you make these mistakes in your email subjects? (The key to getting your messages read
is not to be clever.)
6. Clean Up Emails Before Forwarding Them
Forwarding emails is a great way of sharing ideas, but make sure the original idea is not
hidden in obfuscation.
7. When in Doubt, Send Plain Text Email, Not Rich HTML
Not everybody can receive your fancily formatted emails. Some may even react furious. To be
safe rather than sorry, send plain text emails only when in doubt.

8. Don't Forward Hoaxes

Email hoaxes often contain stories that are intriguing, and sure to irritate. Here's how to spot
and stop urban legends.
9. Use Current Antivirus Software, Keep it Up to Date, Scan for Free
Make sure you're not spreading worms and viruses via email or act as a vehicle for spreading
spam. All this can be caused by malicious emails. Fortunately, there's protection.
10. Say Why You Think What You Forward Will Interest the Recipient
More and better communication makes better relationships. Here's a way to spot and share
relevant information and foster ties by forwarding emails and links.
11. Do Let People Know Their Mail Has Been Received
Did the spam filter eat my message? Spare others this nagging question and let them know
you got their email.
12. Ask Before You Send Huge Attachments
Don't clog email systems without permission.
13. Talk About One Subject per Email Message Only
Help make the world less confusing. Try to talk about one subject per message only. For
another subject, start a new email.
14. Punctuation Matters; in Emails Too
Comma, colon, hyphen and semicolon all exist for a reason: they make it easier to
understand the intended meaning of a sentence. Don't make life more difficult and possibly
less interesting for the recipients of your emails. Pay some though not too pedantically
much attention to punctuation.
15. Use Acronyms Sparingly
DYK? Not everybody knows every acronym, and they don't save that much time anyway.
16. Resize Pictures to Handy Proportions Before Inserting Them in Emails
When your photos look good in your email, you look good, too! Here's how to make sure your
images are not larger than screens and mailboxes by resizing them in style online and for
free.
17. Writing in All Caps is Like Shouting
Don't shout in your emails (and all caps is so difficult to read).
18. Be Careful with Irony in Emails
No, really! I mean it. Honestly!
19. Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails
You can often find typos or misplaced commas neither your spell checker nor you yourself
catch when proofreading on the screen.
20. How to Avoid Embarrassing Emails
Avoid embarrassing emails by sending them to yourself only (by default).
21. Set Your System Clock Right
Make sure you don't send messages from 1981.
22. In Doubt, End Emails with "Thanks"
If you don't know how to say good-bye at the end of an email, there's one thing that will
almost always be appropriate. Thanks.
23. Where to Put Your Signature

Without a line sub-scripted "sign here", how do you decide where to place your email
signature? Look here.
24. Wondering "How to Put That in Writing", Write "That"
Tell it like it is. Have you notices how people who you understand perfectly well when you
listen to them become cryptic when they start writing?
25. Why You Should Compress Files Before Sending Them via Email
Smaller is more beautiful, at least when it comes to email attachments. So make files smaller
before your send them via email.
26. Avoid "Me Too" Messages
"Me too" is not enough content, but too much annoyance.

What Email Etiquette Hint Do You Wish Others Would Follow?

Using "wallpaper" in the background
I cannot stand when you get a work email and cannot read it because the color
background is light blue with flowers, and the text is white. So stupid, annoying, etc.
Guest Keep the Background Plain White

Insulting Carbon Copies

One who sends you carbon copies of their emails that are addressed to and intended
for others, which don't mention you, or have anything to say to you.
Guest kidcuv

The Line-Item Response

One who replies to your email by inserting his one-line comments in between the lines
of the email you sent him.
Guest kidcuv

E-Mail pet peeves

Bad enough if someone knows you, but a complete stranger? Had fellow online
student commit the aforementioned, critiquing my PowerPoint presentation he went
obnoxiously long, w/large/loud font asked him if ever considered anger management
classes.
Guest Bold, large font.

Being Blind and Spelling

I read a lot here about spelling etc. I am guilty of that. Oh, I am not challenged in any
way, just blind but my reader does not know the difference between "your" and
"you're". It just says it, and, frankly, I do not know if the caps are on or off. Just be
glad YOU can see the mistakes!

Guest Don't throw stones

I automatically delete any email when

Here's one that no one has mentioned, and I can't believe it. I automatically delete
any email, no matter how important the sender thinks it is, when every word is a foot
in height and several inches wide. I'm sure everyone has seen these. If this is
supposed to add emphasis to your message, it doesn't. All you're asking me to do is
delete it. What could fit into a page or two at the most now needs 50+ pages. And this
is near impossible to scroll smoothly enough to even read it! And, if you try to read
one like this by clicking the down arrow only will give your finger a cramp. Delete it
yourself before sending out junk like this. If you see this type of Email, you
immediately know it's of no importance. That might be why it wasn't mentioned here
until now.
Guest Huge Lettering

Messages Without Subjects

Pet peeve: a new message with no subject, yet it appears to be talking about
something I've already forgotten.
lynndarby

Lighten Up!

Seems that most of these responses are pretty petty. Lighten up, people!
Guest ccresponders

Blind, dyslexic answers

The biggest irritation are the large companies like MSN, Virgin and many others, who
employ the blind and dyslexic to handle emails. I get very upset returning an email
that asks "What is your question?"... when the email subject line says: "RE:..." then
the question I asked. I am sorry to say that I then tear the abilities of the email writer
to pieces! I suggest that perhaps glasses or lessons in English reading are what is
needed... for them!

Guest Peter Fay

Which School did you attend?

I object strongly any attempt to write without making any effort with grammar, or
punctuation, or spelling it puts my back up (think CAT)!

Guest patriciaenola

Bcc

I don't bother to read emails with too many "To:" and Cc:" recipients. This list should
include instructions to use "Bcc:" when emailing more than five people, except when
it's important for each recipient to know who was sen the message, in which case
sometimes making a group of recipients named "Donut Morons" or something will help
because only the group name will be in the "To:" or "Cc:" field instead of dozens of
recipients. It's occurred to me before that it's important for everyone to have
everyone else's email address in an organization without a global address book, but
this can be done with a single email for that purpose only every time the list ("Donut
Morons") is updated.

Guest Bobtholomew

Too many Questions Marks

When someone ends a question with more than one question mark. Rude!

Guest Doris Foley

An entire message in the subject line!

Are you kidding me? This is the WORST thing anyone could do! Writing everything in
the bloody subject line, leaving the body of the email blank! This not just irks and
irritates me, but angers me beyond my limit! Those who don't know how to email
should bloody keep their thick heads out of it and stick to pen and paper. Shame on
you!
Guest Sam Wise

Responding appropriately

Some of us are the recipients of e-mails from someone with "Reply All-itis". Too, too
much information and information being sent is neither helpful nor pertinent to all of
us. How do we make it stop?!

Guest Diane

Receipt Request
My biggest peeve is when certain individuals have a receipt request on every email
sent. They feel as if you are infringing on their constitutional rights if you ask them to
use it on a needed basis and not as a default.
Guest Gerry - Federal Employee

How to Get Your Questions Answered, Tasks Done in Emails

It's okay to write long and winding, dragging emails, spelling out every detail, background and
eventuality, asking for a thing or two, one important and the other merely optional,
somewhere in the middle, not forgetting, of course, that the recipient is a human being and
that communication beyond the necessary and vocational forms bonds with them, their kids
and spouse and pet. An attachment is a bonus.
It's okay to write these emails. Do know, though, that they may not get read; your questions
may not get answered; tasks not done.
Get Your Questions Answered, Tasks Done in Emails
To make it easy for recipients not cut out for long and detailed emails:

Put a summary on the top:

Ask for any tasks you need performed. Each task should be on its own line; possibly
even in its own email.
Ask any questions you need answered.
Repeat key points at the end.
Do not put (or point to) any important information in an attachment.

Business
Communication and
Legal Issues

Legal issues in business communications become

more complex with the advancing improvement to
technology. Use of new devices increases efficiency
and allows for more productivity, but it also raises

legal concerns as a business worries about the

erosion of privilege, interception of data or storage
of communications.

OUTLINE
Defamation

1.

2.

Invasion of Privacy

3.

Misrepresentation and fraud

4.

5.

Laws regarding employment credit

and collection
Other areas of caution in Business
communication

1)

Defamation :
Publication of Faults
ii) Privileges
iii)
Defamated Terms
i)

Invasion of Privacy :

2)

i)

ii)

An employee personal Disabilities

An employee personal identity and
private facts

iii) An employee record reports letter and

Electronic data

3)

Misrepresentation and fraud :

Innocent misrepresentation
ii) Fraudulent
iii)
Sales warranty
iv) Fraud
i)

4)

Laws regarding employment credit

and collection :
Employment and pre employment
inquires.
ii)Credit and collection.
i)

5)

Other areas of caution in Business

communication :
Copy write
ii)Computer data security
i)