After looking at all the codes of ethics, the Public Relations Society of America has the most complete ethical guidelines of all the ones listed online. It combines information from all the other sources without being too short or too wordy.
The PRSA, SPJ and WOMMA codes of ethics have many overlapping ethical principles but one in particular stood out to me. Conflict of interest is the easiest principle to blur the lines on. When is it ok to do a favor or work with clients in the same industry? When should you step back and say no.
My first experience in the real world was not rainbows and butterflies. I had a summer internship with a very large business to business benefits firm who had no marketing or PR department. I took the internship because I was promised help, education and the freedom of doing what I thought was right for the company.
After a few weeks of getting nothing accomplished because no one could agree on what I needed to do (that is beside the point) my boss started asking me to work on marketing for his personal business and home life. I tried avoiding the assignments at first, but I knew that was not the way to solve the problem.
Talking to my boss about my conflict of interest was one of the scariest things I have ever done. I don’t like people to be disappointed in me, but I was not happy with my job. After trying to explain to him why I could not work on any assignments except for ones for the insurance company for 30 minutes, he basically told me I did not know how things worked in the real world. He went on to tell me that in the real world interns do what their bosses tell them in order to move up in the company.
I was heartbroken. I felt like I was failing at my job and letting my morals go down the drain by staying at the company. After talking with anyone who would listen to me about my dilemma I decided to go above my boss and talk to his boss.
His boss was concerned, but not with the acts of my boss. He was concerned that having interns in the office would stir up issues with the head office (I was at one of six.) He knew what my boss was doing- using company time to work on his other business, and was looking the other way.
My boss went on vacation the next week and his boss told me that services would no longer be needed when he got back. I am ok with not working there, and would have resigned if he had not said anything to me.
I will always be super sensitive to conflicts of interest, along with all the other ethical principles, especially after seeing first hand that some people really are unethical.
Where do I want to be in five, ten and even fifteen years down the road? After my first run in with unethical behavior I can say not there. I love people, talking to them, listening to their stories and I hope that where ever I end up I will be doing just that.
Working for a corporation or agency would be wonderful for five years down the line. I love interacting with a team and brainstorming, bouncing ideas and having someone to double check your spelling is amazing. I hope that in five years I will be moving up the ladder and personally that I have a family to come home to.
In ten years I want to either be up the ladder or opening my own company. I still have the idea in my head that I can work for one company for my entire life, or at least most of it but I know that is not how it works most of the time.
Fifteen years from now, wow it is hard for me to even imagine myself in 15 years. I want to have an office somewhere, mostly because I want to decorate it. I would like to be known for my success in and out of the office and have avoided any conflict.
I know that my fifteen year plan for myself seems a little naive. I will have speed bumps. I will get knocked down and get into conflicts. I will probably switch companies and make mistakes. It won’t be an easy road to get where I want, morals and values will be tested.
I also know that I have my education to back me up. These codes of ethics been drilled into my brain from the first class I took and will continue to be in my head for the rest of my life. I know that I have professors and classmates that will turn into colleges and friends and that I can always pick up the phone (or tweet) them when I am having a tough time.
I Know that I will be successful, I hope it is in the way I have envisioned.
