Building_an_Ethical_Organization

BUILDING AN ETHICAL ORGANIZATIONAL PART I AND II Corrine Marshall HSM / 230 April 17, 2012 Instructor Cyndi Cucuzza Phoenix Online College Building an Ethical Organizational Part II I have just been appointed the new director of an organization that will provide services for young girls that have become pregnant from peer pressure, abuse, neglect, and unwanted pregnancies that plague our community. We will provide education and resources for all young girls who would like to be educated on sex and relationships. The center is mainly for the pregnant teens that have dropped out of school and want to continue their education. CMC Youth Center is developed as a non-profit organization dedicated to the young girls’ ages 13 to 18 in our local community. Pregnancy among our young girls is a highly sensitive situation that strikes our young from abuse, neglect, and unprotected sex. We can help these girls with education, awareness, and support from the community and the center that has been created. The first service we offer to these young girls is a stable and safe environment. They will meet with other girls in a school like setting who are in similar situations. There will be rules and regulations that each individual must abide by in order to stay in this program. The only requirement for this program is that they must sign a contract agreeing to adhere to the rules and regulations and of course, they must be expecting. They must also take advantage of all the services provided to them during their stay. The second services we will provide to these young girls are a chance to complete their schooling through G.E.D courses. They must report to class on the scheduled days and continue to obtain the grades put into place by the state in order to complete the program. After they have completed their G.E.D courses they have the option to receive additional schooling and/or develop a trade. This is not mandatory but will be stressed that it is very important to develop and advance in future careers. Counseling will be offered to each youth on a daily basis by appointment and walk in. The youth may use this time with their counselors to discuss their childhood, the obstacles they faced and still do, how they feel, and how they plan to overcome the obstacles in their lives. They are free to discuss whatever they wish and know that it is safe and confidential unless they make threats against another person in the program as well as outside. Alongside counseling we will offer parenting classes to all the girls in our program. During this time they will learn about budgeting, childcare and relationships. Teaching them other ways to face anger and express feelings without resorting to violence or unhealthy behavior. These young ladies will be able to have one on one counseling and group therapy. The final service we will provide is a project where youth who have completed the trainings in this organization may accompany regular staff to the local school to educate other children about safe sex and abstinence, by sharing their story of success and how they overcame this very obstacle. Mission Statement: Our mission here at CMC youth center is to help these young girls improve their lives and maintain normal and healthy relationships in the future. By offering these youth a stable and safe environment to study along with job training, counseling, and a high school education, it is our hope to educate and bring awareness to others that are not educated on teenage pregnancy. In order to support the ethical system that is valued in this organization there will be a set of guidelines that must be followed by each employee as well as young girls that come into this organization. If these guidelines and regulations are broken by any employee immediate termination will occur. If any youth does not follow the guidelines they will immediately be discharged from the program and will not be allowed to return unless a staff member advocates for them. It is our hope that this organization will send a message to the community that education and awareness should be shared among the community and that we must help these youth to break the cycle. It also tells the community that we are here and here to help any youth in need of our services. It is also our hope that this organization will help the community to understand that this is an issue in their community and with the help of the community; together we can educate them as to how we as a community might reach a resolution. We will accomplish this by handing out pamphlet to youth and the community detailing what our organization is about and how we can help to resolve this issue that is right in our backyards. The Value Statement here at CMC Youth Center we take pride in knowing that our clients can feel safe and know any information obtained for these services will remain private. This is one of our top priorities in order to ensure our center succeeds in assisting as many young girls as possible. It is the belief of CMC Youth Center that these young individuals can and will break the cycle of unhealthy relationships and unwanted pregnancies with our help. We pride ourselves on being able to maintain a professional relationship with all clients daily, while still remaining compassionate to the needs of others. We are very proud to offer these services in a friendly and clean environment to these youth who wish to seek the changes necessary to lead a full and rewarding life. CMC also believes that with help from the community we can make this environment a safe one for future generations. It is our hope that the values of this organization will help all employees to reach their potential as teachers to these youth. These values will also help to ensure that the employees know the community is watching our every move and hopefully inspire our employees to maintain a professional attitude inside and outside of the organization. We also hope that the community can see our organization as a positive influence throughout the community and a positive and safe environment for those in need of our help. BUILDING AN ETHICAL ORGANIZAAATIION PART II Many smaller companies now have Codes of Ethics, along with a variety of other, issue-specific ethics documents. Such documents represent the ethical commitments of your organization; it tells the world who you are, what you stand for, and what to expect when conducting business with you. A code of ethics should be closely related to the organization’s mission, values, and goals. Code of Ethics here at CMC we have very strict policies; this is to ensure the safety of both our staff and our clients. If any one person is found breaking these guidelines it can result in verbal and writing warnings, suspension or even termination. In order to support the ethical system that is valued in this organization there will be a set of guidelines that must be followed by each employee as well as youth that comes into this organization. If these guidelines and regulations are broken by any employee immediate termination will occur. If any youth does not follow the guidelines they will immediately be discharged from the program and will not be allowed to return unless a staff member advocates for them. Here is the code of ethics for MCM Youth Center. 1. Client’s Privacy: Each staff member is responsible for maintaining the privacy of all clients at all times. You are not to share information with any outside resources unless given permission in writing by the client. This includes talking about the client or their case in any area outside of the program, talking to other clients about another client and their case, and talking to staff in open areas where conversations may be overheard. 2. No Fraternizing: Whether it is between staff member or staff members and clients, staff is responsible for developing and maintaining a professional relationship that exists inside and outside the program doors. Any staff caught having a sexual relationship with our clients will immediately be terminated. 3. Sexual Harassment: A staff member will maintain a professional relationship with clients, and staff must also maintain a professional relationship with one another. No one is allowed to use whatever power they think they have against staff or client. This can also lead to immediate termination of staff member after an investigation is complete. 4. Inappropriate Language: During work hours the use of profanities and sexual content is prohibited. Any staff member who is overheard using this language will receive a verbal then written warning which can lead to termination if behavior continues. 5. . Verbal, Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse: Any staff member caught using verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse towards another staff member or client will result in immediate suspension and may be terminated and/or arrested after an investigation is complete. 6. Hiring Professionals: To hire qualified individuals and to train them to work within the guidelines of this code of ethics. 7. Taking Pride in ones work: To cooperatively work with students and faithfully deliver the kind of service promised to them, whether orally, in writing, or implied. 8. Follow Through: To support the policies and programs of our organization and to participate in its regional and national activities. 9. Harmful Objects: Possession of harmful weapons such as knives, guns, etc. is prohibited in and outside of the premises of the facility. Anyone found with any type of weapon delivering will be suspended until determination of a hearing. 10. Respect: Employees should treat colleagues with respect and should represent accurately and fairly the qualifications, views, and obligations of colleagues 11. Discrimination: Employees should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability. 12. Accountability: Employees accept responsibility for their actions, attitudes and mistakes. The code of ethics at CMC Youth Center inspires a tangible outcome from employees by delivering an obvious standard that can be referred to and allows employees to know what is right and appropriate without falling back on the unpredictable moral standard that people were raised up with. It is also a guide to what the organization is expecting their employee’s behavior and performance should be. It tells the employee’s what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. A code of ethics within an organization will seem more trustworthy to people because it gives the impression that it is not all about making money; employee’s will respond with loyalty and continue to support the organization for many years. The code of ethics is related to the Center’s mission and values by offering principles and standards to guide decision making and conduct when ethical issues arise. It does not provide a set of rules that prescribe how workers should act in all situations. Specific applications of the Code must take into account the context in which it is being considered and the possibility of conflicts among the values, principles, and standards. Ethical responsibilities flow from all human relationships, from the personal, social, and professional. The type of culture we strive to have and maintain here at CMC is known as Collaborate (CLAN) Culture. This type of culture ensures an open and friendly environment to work and our clients as well as staff is able to share their knowledge and experiences with one another while maintaining a professional relationship. This type of culture also holds loyalty and tradition to a high standard and places much emphasis on the long term goal. Since our organization will be working so closely and personally with our clients it is important they feel comfortable as well as feeling they are the reason for our organization, not money. By implementing and maintaining this type of culture it is our hope that this will help in our long term goal of helping these youth in our communities achieve their education and a bright future. As the leader of this organization it is also my duty to ensure my behavior is appropriate and my decisions are fair. It is important to show employees that not only do they have to abide by the guidelines but I am held accountable as well. It is my hopes that by doing this it will keep the type of culture we wish to see here at CMC strong and the relationship between staff and management open and strong as well. The way to measure the performance in supporting the ethical standard each employee will undergo a performance review after the first 90 days, then again each year. Our organization will also have an ethics board that will we have put into place. In addition to the performance evaluations and ethics board any staff or client is free to bring an issue to my attention at any time by filling out a report or speaking to me personally, they may also leave an anonymous note if they wish. This will help ensure that all staff and clients feel comfortable and have the feeling of being treated fairly and with respect. As the new director of CMC, a nonprofit organization, it is my duty to ensure that our organization meets the needs of the teens and community and bring the awareness that working together brings us close to our mission. The basis of the organization is to provide strength and support to our local community. Our aim is to grow and become a leader within our community that the people will respect and depend on. To meet this task, CMC has created a strong code of ethics, defined the role of leadership, and created a solid ethical board of oversight. By creating a strong ethical foundation, CMC will become successful, sustainable, and a respected member of the community. With all these basics in place, it is the goal of CMC to establish an organizational culture that thrives on teamwork. CMC will do outreach and research regarding what and where the needs of the community are. We also will attend and participate in community meetings, advertise our newly found organization, and pass out pamphlets and flyers with information about safe sex and other resources that our teens can relate to that will detour them from unhealthy places and choices. REFERENCE (American Psychological Assoc.). Grace Jr., H., & Haupert, J. E. (2006). How to Make an Ethics Program Work. CPA Journal, 76(4), 66-67. Retrieved by EBsco Kanga, L. M. (2009). Assessing the value of the relationship between organizational culture types and knowledge management initiatives. Journal of Leadership Studies, 3(1), 29-38. doi:10.1002/jls.20093 .