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> "Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info>
>
> > It is an ethical issue if a writer is hired and not told *all* the terms
of
> > employment and what is expected.
> > There's really no question about this among professionals in the
workplace.
> > If you hire me, and you surprise me, you are guilty of being unethical
in
> > your behavior toward me.
>
> You're kidding, right? You don't actually believe this?
If you hire me and you do not tell me that my drafts have to be ready at any
time for inspection by you, and that they really shouldn't be drafts at all,
but should be finished product, you are behaving unethically.
>
> Okay, let me see if I understand this. If Joe the Boss at Company X hires
you, he
> has to describe EVERY conceivable expectation to you the instant you're
hired.
> And if Joe or Company X changes their expectations, they must warn you in
advance
> - lest they become unethical.
If you do not tell me what you require of me, and then knock me for not
meeting your expectations, you are not only being unethical, but you are
being stupid.
>
> First off, even if this was possible, it wouldn't make any sense. Since it
would
> assume that there is a never (or seldom) changing set of static
expectations.
> Which is hardly the case. Most organizations are in a constant state of
change
> and therefore a constant state of fluctuating expectations.
>
When I say "*all* the terms of employment and what is expected* I am
obviously referring to those things that are known at the time I am hired
that pertain to how I perform my job and how my work will be evaluated.
> But mostly, no organization in the universe has the capability to tell a
new hire
> *all* the possible expectations. That's why there is training and why it
can take
> people months to "come up to speed" in a job. You can never expect to walk
in the
> door and get the entire job and all possible expectations laid out. There
is a
> delicate dance that ensues at any new job as a new employee finds their
footing
> and "learns the ropes."
>
It's quite a fundamental thing for a manager to tell an employee that the
manager wants to see drafts of work and that those drafts should be clean,
well-organized, and not what most people would call a "rough draft". That's
real easy to do and it is the ethical thing to do. Anything less is jerking
around the employee. Again, when I say *all* terms of employment and
expectations I am obviously not referring to those things that come up later
because of change. That would be absurd. Of course there are changes in the
work environment and in requirements, but even then, notice to employees is
the bare minimum that a manager owes his or her subordinates. Without it,
there is no trust and the manager ultimately fails.
> Why must people see their job as a struggle between "them" and "us?" When
a boss
> tells you to improve in some area, did it ever occur to you that you might
> actually need improvement in that area? At the very least, did it ever
occur to
> you that different organizations (and bosses) have different expectations.
And
> part of your job is to determine those expectations and then strive to
meet (or
> exceed) them.
>
I don't see such a struggle in the present instance. I see a writer who was
treated like a child. That's unethical. If you cannot see it, perhaps that
is why you have so many horror stories about your employees.
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