As practitioners of professional works, we are committed to doing what is right and honourable. We set high standards for ourselves and we aspire to meet these standards in all aspects of our lives—at work, at home, and in service to our profession.
This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct describes the expectations that we have of ourselves and our fellow practitioners in our organization It articulates the ideals to which we aspire as well as the behaviours that are mandatory in our professional and volunteer roles.
In the business world, ethics scandals have caused the downfall of global corporations and non-profits, causing public outrage and sparking increased government regulations. Globalization has brought economies closer together but has caused a realization that our practice of ethics may differ from culture to culture. The rapid, continuing pace of technological change has provided new opportunities, but has also introduced new challenges, including new ethical dilemmas.
The result of the implementation of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct that not only describes the ethical values to which the PPAT community aspires, but also addresses the specific conduct that is mandatory for every individual bound by this Code.
The purpose of this Code is to in still confidence in the profession and to help an individual become a better practitioner.
We believe that the credibility and reputation of any profession is shaped by the collective conduct of individual practitioners.
The values that the PPAT defined as most important were:
This Code affirms these five values as its foundation. Click here to learn how to lodge a complaint on ethical code violation.
Responsibility is our duty to take ownership for the decisions we make or fail to make, the actions we take or fail to take, and the consequences that result. Being a professional irrespective of the job you do, we have many things for which we are responsible which is to say, things within our control for which we are answerable or accountable. Make decisions and take actions based on the best interests of society, public safety, and the environment. Fulfill the commitments that we undertake – we do what we say we will do. When make errors or omissions, take ownership and make corrections promptly. When discover errors or omissions caused by others, communicate them to the appropriate body as soon they are discovered. Accept accountability for any issues resulting from our errors or omissions and any resulting consequences.
We inform ourselves and uphold the policies, rules, regulations and laws that govern our work, professional, and volunteer activities. We report unethical or illegal conduct to appropriate management and, if necessary, to those affected by the conduct. We bring violations of this Code to the attention of the appropriate body for resolution. We only file ethics complaints when they are substantiated by facts. We pursue disciplinary action against an individual who retaliates against a person raising ethics concerns
To take notice of, to regard as worthy, to honour, to esteem for a personal quality or ability. Respect is our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources entrusted to us. Resources entrusted to us may include people, money, reputation, the safety of others, and natural or environmental resources. Every human being and nation, irrespective of their power or strength, has the right to be respected. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” -Laurence Sterne.
"Respect is an unassuming resounding force, the stuff that equity and justice are made of. It means being treated with consideration and esteem and to be willing to treat people similarly. It means to have a regard for other peoples' feelings, listening to people and hearing them, i.e. giving them one's full attention. Even more importantly, respect means treating one with dignity. Respect is the opposite of humiliation and contempt
As William Ury writes in his book The Third Side: "Human beings have a host of emotional needs- for love and recognition, for belonging and identity, for purpose and meaning to lives. If all these needs had to be subsumed in one word, it might be respect.
Importance of Respect in Peace-building and Conflict Transformation: Respect is the first positive step in building a relationship and relationships are central to conflict transformation. One does not have to like a person or understand his viewpoint to accord him respect. Respect comes with the belief that a person or culture can have beliefs contradictory to ours and we should still honour them, as basic respect is a fundamental right of all human beings. In addition, goals and concessions become easier to attain when the element of respect is present.
"You have to be a human being. You cannot be arrogant..... If you treat each individual with respect, each nation with dignity, you can get a lot further than trying to muscle them"
Peace-building and conflict transformation strongly emphasize the human relationship aspect. Therefore, for peace-building to succeed, the element of respect is essential. Respect plays an important role in a number of ways.
Respect is created in many ways.
Thus the presence of respect can help transform conflicts, by providing opportunities that did not exist before. At the same time, the absence of respect can lead to conflict. Recognize respect to be a basic human right, treat individuals and states with dignity, and you will receive a more sustainable response. The relationships so established will be based on mutual trust and respect, and hence is likely to last. In contrast, if you browbeat your enemies (or both sides if you are the mediator) then even though the goal may be attained, the relationship will be resentful, and backlash, more than stable peace is the more likely outcome.
Fairness is our duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively. Our conduct must be free from competing self interest, prejudice, and favouritism.
Fairness is made up of two parts:
Objectivity Is not forcing your own personal opinions. The opposite of objectivity is subjectivity.
Impartiality: Which is not taking sides on an issue where there is a dispute. Impartiality also includes presenting all sides of an argument fairly, what we call balance.
If you do believe very strongly in a particular cause, you must develop two personalities - the You-at-Home and the You-at-Work - and keep them separate.
Fairness is important. It takes place in all our lives. If we did not have fairness our lives would be crazy. Fairness is when everyone is treated equally and no one is left out. People that are fair follow the rules in sports, games, activities, and in their community. They are honest and trustworthy. Fairness is very important in a community. Everyone needs to follow the rules, be respectful of one another and work together to build a strong and beautiful community.
Fairness is a lot more than we think. It is not only making sure that everyone is treated the same. It encourages, respect, responsibility, leadership, trust and a life that matters.
A good person is one who treats every person he/she encounters with respect and fairness. Some suggestions for cultivating your reputation for fairness include:
Credibility is critical to your success as a professional and nothing destroys credibility faster than the reputation that you play favourites or deal with people on an inconsistent basis. Be deliberate and even-handed about how you treat your colleagues. The benefits of cultivating a reputation as a professional who deals with people in a fair manner are priceless irrespective of the designations.
It is frank; without pretensions; dependable; not disposed to cheat or defraud; good. It always tell the truth. Honesty is our duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful manner both in our communications and in our conduct.
It can't be more simple. You are taught at a young age the importance of telling the truth. That lesson should not disappear as you grow up
Honesty is demonstrated by what we say and by what we do. It impacts our entire life; our jobs, our relationships, our own feelings about ourselves and the actions we take. It can move us forward and allow us to feel good about what we do. Do not engage in or condone behaviour that is designed to deceive others, including but not limited to, making misleading or false statements, stating half-truths, providing information out of context or withholding information that, if known, would render our statements as misleading or incomplete. Do not engage in dishonest behaviour with the intention of personal gain or at the expense of another.
Honesty may be seen as transparency and openness- your willingness to communicate what you’re thinking or feeling, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular. Honesty may be seen as a willingness to listen and discuss issues before the data is completely thought through, when available alternatives are not fully crystallized, and when decisions are not yet final. It may also be seen as keeping your word, following through on promises, and delivering on time
Being honest means choosing not to lie, steal, cheat, or deceive in any way. When you are honest, you build strength of character that will allow you to be of great service to others
Honesty has a beautiful simplicity. "Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity."
Every one person who trusts you will spread the word of that trust to at least a few of their associates, and word of your character will spread like wildfire. The value of the trust others have in you is far beyond anything that can be measured.
Dishonesty harms you and harms others as well. If you lie, steal, shoplift, or cheat, you damage your spirit and your relationships with others. Dishonesty may provide instant gratification in the moment but it will never last.
When we are honest we never have to worry about trying to remember what we said.
Integrity is a state of mind and is not situational. If you compromise your integrity in small situations with little consequence, then it becomes very easy to compromise on the small situations. Holistic consistency of expectations and outcomes; or honest and morally upright. It means telling the truth even if the truth is ugly. Better to be honest than to delude others, because then you are probably deluding yourself, too.
Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, whether or not anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences will be. Building a reputation of integrity takes years, but it takes only a second to lose, so never allow yourself to ever do anything that would damage your integrity.
Integrity is one of the fundamental values that employers seek in the employees that they hire. It is the hallmark of a person who demonstrates sound moral and ethical principles at work. A person who has integrity lives his or her values in relationships with coworkers, customers etc.
People who demonstrate integrity draw others to them because they are trustworthy and dependable. They are principled and can be counted on to behave in honorable ways even when no one is watching.
For companies it means customers that trust giving them more and more business. For you it means having an army of people that are willing to go the extra mile to help you because they know that recommending you to others will never bring damage to their own reputation of integrity.
It can be described as the combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely. Other factors, such as attitude and physical ability, can also affect someone’s competence.
For millennia, humans looked into the night sky and saw stars they believed were fixed in space. And, of course, the earth was the centre of it all. Now we know that nothing is fixed. The stars move, the earth moves, and we move. It’s all relative, depending on where you stand and what’s around you (thanks, Albert Einstein)
We can apply this perspective to the notion of “competence.” We have tended to think of competence as a fixed point: either you are competent or you are not. With this thinking, Dr. Einstein was just a competent physicist, the Beatles were only a competent band. Are you thinking about going in for some medical tests? If they told you the doctor is “competent,” would you be concerned? What an uninteresting and stagnant world we would live in if everyone was just competent at what they do.
Competency based training emphasises what a person can do in the workplace as a result of completing training or through relevant experience and learning that has taken place in the workplace or elsewhere. Competency includes the capacity to:
Skills Recognition is the acknowledgment, by a qualified assessor of PPAT that a person has gained relevant skills and knowledge that would have otherwise been developed through training, and that the skills and knowledge can be transferred to a new workplace or role.
Competencies are arranged into a framework that brings together a number of job roles and the required capabilities that the job holder must possess or acquire in order to perform his job effectively. While aiming to provide a fair and consistent approach to employee engagement and development, workplace competencies are especially popular in large organizations.
In practice, workplace competencies describe the desired performance.