Ethical training & development professionals
People are expected to behave in a given manner when confronted with various situations in an organization. The code of conduct requires people to behave in a specific manner when in such situations. Individuals need to be trained on how to behave and how to practice ethical behaviors. Ethical training and development professionals are people who train groups of people on how to conduct themselves within the organization. The trainers should share information that can help promote best practices among the people in organizations. Also, they add knowledge base by training, as well as development in human services. To be an ethical training and development professional, one has to ensure that they do not breach copyright laws. Also, one should always advocate for proper usage of development activities. It is said that the best way to ensure effective training on ethical issues in an organization is to hire external facilitators who are well trained and have a good knowledge base (Soifer, 2009).
What ethical issues should trainers be mindful of?
There are many ethical issues that need to be addressed by trainers. Ethical issues vary depending on the organization and the business it conducts. Also, ethical issues keep changing as the business environment changes. However, there are some ethical issues that trainers need to be mindful of that might be common in almost all organizations. One such issue is the discrimination of certain members of Saint Leo University, as well as students. There are also cases where academic staff may offer certificates that are not valid. Trainers should address this issue since it can destroy the University’s reputation. Finally, trainers should be mindful of the issue of side deals. This is where employees work for other people other than the employer with whom they have contracted with (Smith, Skarbek & Hurst, 2005).
What legal and liability issues should ethical trainers be mindful of?
In the current business economy, ethical training is not a ‘nice to have’ practice; instead, employers must ensure their workers are offered training on ethical issues. If employees are not offered the training, there is a possibility of behaving unethically, and the organization can be liable for the damages. Any misconduct by employees might drag the organization into lawsuits. The trainer should, therefore, be considerate of legal and liability issues when training employees. Among the legal issues that should be addressed at Saint Leo University include, but not limited to, academic misconduct. Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, and complicity. Abuse, which could be verbal, mental, or physical, should also be addressed. Every member of the University should be trained on how to behave in a manner that displays social conduct and adherence to the University regulations. Also, students and members of the organization should be trained on adjudication (Saintleo, 2013).
Contract trainers & “in-house” trainers face different ethical issues
Contract trainers are trainers who are from outside the organization, while in-house trainers are internal trainers. The ethical issues faced by contract trainers and in-house trainers may not have major differences (Blanchard & Thacker, 2012). However, there is a possibility of the two trainers facing different issues. For instance, an outsider may not be much aware of the organization’s code of conduct. Members of the organization may, therefore, take that advantage and present issues that differ from what is in the code of conduct. In such a situation, the contract trainer faces issues that are different from what the in-house trainer faces (Saintleo, 2013).
References
Blanchard, P. B., & Thacker, J. W. (2012). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall
Saintleo (2013). Saint Leo Media. Web.
Smith, R. L., Skarbek, D., & Hurst, J. (2005). The passion of teaching: Dispositions in the schools. Lanham, MD.: Scarecrow Education.
Soifer, E. (2009). Ethical issues: Perspectives for Canadians. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press.