The Difference Between Personal and Professional Ethics

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The difference between personal and professional ethics

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SHIELA MARIE P. CATANA
Professional Ethics

BSCS-IV
Ms. Tañedo

1. The difference between personal and professional ethics
Personal ethics refers to the ethics that a person identifies with in respect to people and situations that they deal
with in everyday life.
Professional ethics refers to the ethics that a person must adhere to in respect of their interactions and business
dealings in their professional life.
In some cases, personal and professional ethics may clash and cause a moral conflict. For example:


A police officer may personally believe that a law that he is required to enforce is wrong. However,
under the Code of Conduct for the New Zealand Police, he is required to obey all lawful and reasonable
instructions to enforce that law unless there is good and sufficient cause to do otherwise.



A doctor may not personally believe that the course of medical treatment chosen by a patient is the right
one. However, under the Code of Ethics for the New Zealand Medical Association, she must respect the
rights, autonomy and freedom of choice of the patient.

More often than not people at work resolve moral conflicts by drawing a line between their professional and
individual roles.
In other words, they separate their work from their personal life and follow their professional code of conduct.
What are some limitations of professional ethics?
Smaller Profits
 A professional code of ethics restricts a businessman from going after maximum profit in favor of
"what's best for the client." This may mean a businessman's sales figures under-perform for a given
quarter because he's only selling people what they "need" versus what he can convince them they need.
If the businessman works on a commission, not only is he returning smaller profits for his business but
he's also taking home less money. According to SRA International, a professional code of ethics teaches
an employee to put the client first and always be honest with him. In the competitive business world
where results matter more than politeness, this strategy could cost someone a job.
Wasted Time
 A professional code of ethics requires you to invest your time in inefficient ways. Taking the time to
establish good rapport with clients and other sales people takes time away from the business of making
money. For example, while you're off somewhere at a charity golf event raising your presence in the
community as an upstanding, ethical businessman, your competition is closing a deal and maneuvering
you out of contention. Losing a big sale to more tenacious competition can severely damage your career.
Performance and Unattainable Goals
 A professional code of ethics places value on treating all employees with respect as opposed to
respecting performance. Implementing a professional code of ethics may cause employee production to
slip as the focus is taken away from results and work standards, and turned toward creating a happy

work environment. A code of ethics may also raise the public's expectations for company standards to
unattainable levels, according to the business information website Goliath. This creates a more stressful
workplace as employees struggle to maintain performance standards while learning a new rules set.
Professional Code
1. In this Code and in the regulations made thereunder, unless the context indicates a different meaning, the
following terms mean:
(a) “order” or “professional order”: any professional order listed in Schedule I to this Code or constituted in
accordance with this Code;
(b) “board of directors”: any board of directors established within a professional order;
(c) “professional” or “member of an order”: any person who holds a permit issued by an order and who is
entered on the roll of the latter;
(d) “Interprofessional Council”: the Québec Interprofessional Council established by this Code;
(e) “Office”: the Office des professions du Québec established by this Code;
(f) “permit”: a permit issued under this Code and the Charter of the French language which allows the
exclusive practice of the profession mentioned therein and the use of a title reserved to the professionals
practising such profession or only allows the use of a title reserved to the members of the order issuing the
permit, subject to entry of the holder of such permit on the roll of that order;
(g) “special authorization”: a special authorization granted for a limited period under this Code to a person who
does not hold a permit, to allow him the exclusive practice of the profession mentioned therein and the use of a
title reserved to the professionals practising such profession or to allow him only the use of a title reserved to
the members of the order granting this authorization;
(h) “roll”: the list of the members in good standing of an order, prepared under this Code;
(i) “Minister”: any Minister designated by the Government.
Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between 'right'
and 'wrong' and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents
at three levels: codes of business ethics, codes of conduct for employees, and codes of professional practice.

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