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Business Ethics

Healing Beyond Borders Business Ethics
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Business Ethics

Business ethics (professionalism) is a set of standards that has a focus on protecting the integrity of the Healing Beyond Borders (HBB) organization and all for which it stands. As a participating member of the organization in the role of student/practitioner, coordinator, or instructor, we uphold the standards that support HBB as an organization, a non-profit entity.

Therefore, it is necessary for us as HBB Healing Touch practitioners, students, instructors, and coordinators when presenting Healing Touch to the public to have an understanding of the policies, laws, rules, and regulations of HBB that apply to our specific role(s). These ethical rules flow from the HBB values of integrity, respect of self and others, community, and service, and are consistent with material found in the Instructor Guidelines and Coordinator’s Packet.

If you are unsure if a contemplated action is permitted by law or HBB policy, you should seek the advice of a resource expert through the Executive Director of HBB. Each of us is responsible for preventing ethical violations and for speaking up when we see possible violations.

BE LOYAL

By recognizing you as a student in training, a practitioner, an instructor, or in the role of coordinator, HBB has demonstrated its trust in you. This trust includes that you will be loyal to HBB, always act in the best interests of HBB, and not engage in any activity that may be or appear to be a conflict of interest with your duty of loyalty to HBB while teaching or promoting an HBB course.

If you are an instructor, coordinator, or in the role of promoting the Healing Beyond Borders HTI Healing Touch Certificate Program, this means that you will teach and/or promote only the educational program of HBB. It also means that you will not, without the written permission of the Executive Director, use the information you gain as an instructor or coordinator to aid, promote, or further the aims or activities of any non-HBB organization or event (including any of your own non-HBB activities), whether that activity be for profit, not-for-profit, charity, or otherwise. One example of the misuse of such information would be using the contact information (i.e., addresses, phone numbers, emails) of students or potential students to promote any event or activity that was not directly sponsored or promoted by HBB. HBB instructors and coordinators also should instruct students of the proper use of the course names and contact information to preserve their confidentiality as indicated.

You are also expected to be professional and loyal to the reputation of HBB. This means you will not publicly disparage HBB, its program, educational materials, instructors, coordinators, leaders, or participants, as well as those of other complementary and integrative organizations. In this regard, be careful of what you post on social media, chat rooms, or blogs, being mindful that what you do or say has a significant effect on how others may view HBB and its healing work. This does not, however, prohibit you from engaging in positive, constructive discussions about ways of improving the program and organization.

You will use your best efforts to protect the intellectual property of HBB, including its instructional materials, marketing materials, course lists, potential student lists, and any other information you have learned or obtained as a result of your participation in HBB. You will respect HBB’s ownership of its intellectual property and you will not copy or allow others with whom you have contact (e.g., HBB students, practitioners, coordinators, instructors, and clients) to copy any of HBB materials without express written permission of the Executive Director, or where permission has been given on the HBB website. Instructors will provide each student with the opportunity to opt in to having his/her name and contact information forwarded to HBB for continuing education and communication purposes. This respects the student’s autonomy while maintaining effective communication with the student by HBB.

You will respect the privacy of others in the HBB organization and will not share with anyone, without the need to know, the private information you have learned as a result of your participation in HBB, and/or its administrative/organizational committees.

BE FAIR

This has to do with being fair with one another and building community in a way that reflects positively on HBB as a whole. While the following points are from the Instructor Guidelines, these are pertinent to all affiliated with HBB.

“The building of the Healing Touch community requires mutual respect. The CHTI, CHTP, coordinator, and student honors the foundational work and contributions of others in building a Healing Touch community and models this concept to coordinators, helpers, and students. The instructor recognizes that competition and ownership concerns can be addressed by using the following guidelines (HBB Instructor Guidelines, pages 4-5) based upon the principles of abundance:

  1. “Work in cooperation whenever possible and honor and respect each other. Help each other to open new doors to the development of Healing Touch.”
  2. When invited to present information to the community about Healing Touch, be respectful of relationships and considerate of others in that area. Be honest and specific about your own credentials. Always provide the contact information of HBB.
  3. “Contribute back to the community that sponsored you by promoting ongoing Healing Touch programs, support groups, and practice clinics in the area.” Network with others in a positive and proactive manner.
  4. “The CHTI submits upcoming public course information online at the HBB website for course listing on the HBB website and in HBB publications in a timely manner.” Refer interested persons to the HBB website for course listings or to a CHTI in your area.
  5. “Instructors agree to present the educational content in a fair and accurate manner, adhering to the HBB terminology.” Healing Touch information shared by students in training, practitioners, and coordinators should also adhere to HBB terminology.
  6. When representing HBB, “Students [and colleagues] will be respected and valued at all times regardless of race, creed, age, sex, gender expression, disability, and sexual orientation, honoring individual autonomy, growth, and self-empowerment. The HBB instructor considers requests for special accommodations in the classroom in keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, which is recognized internationally by 160 countries. Personal and group information is kept confidential in accordance with professional guidelines.” (HBB Instructor Guidelines page 1)

BE HONEST

Our work becomes clouded when we are not working from a center of truth and honesty, both with others and ourselves. HBB requires each of those affiliated with the organization to act with the utmost honesty. This means we can never misrepresent our credentials or allow another’s misperception of our credentials to go uncorrected.

Instructors must ensure that they sign certificates of completion ONLY for those students they have personally instructed. Instructors must ensure that prior to signing a certificate, the student has completed all of the required hours of instruction for that level.

Just as we will not improperly use the property of HBB for our own gain, we will also never seek to acquire or use the trade secrets, marketing materials, or other proprietary or confidential information of any other organization improperly, including any other energy healing programs.

BE PROFESSIONAL

Follow the procedures and the rules described in the Coordinator’s Packet or the Instructor Guidelines. Each of these documents is found on the HBB website and is incorporated by reference into these Rules of Ethics. You are responsible to know all the information and abide by those rules and guidelines.

Hold in confidence information or matters with which you have been entrusted by virtue of your role in the organization.

Confront disagreements directly and promptly by talking directly to the person, avoiding passive communication. Seek confidential assistance if necessary (e.g., an objective person skilled in communication). Avoid discussing professional and personal disagreements on social media and blogs.

VIOLATIONS

If you violate any of these rules of ethics, you may be subject to an ethics review, which may result in sanctions, up to and including, revocation of your certification as a practitioner or instructor. See the ethics procedures on the HBB website. Below are points of consideration when striving to maintain ethical standards, which are adapted from Rachel A. Prine, SPHR, Human Resource Manager at SCTelcom in Wichita, Kansas, of the SHRM Employment Committee.

Several key questions can help identify situations that may be unethical, inappropriate, or illegal. Ask yourself:

  • Does what I am doing comply with the HBB guiding principles and policies?
  • Have I been asked to misrepresent information or deviate from the normal procedure?
  • Would I feel comfortable describing my decision to the HBB Executive Director, Board of Directors, or Ethics Committee?
  • How would it look if my action made the headlines?
  • Is this the right thing to do?

If you have any questions or concerns about business ethics or this document, contact the Executive Director of HBB.

Web addresses for instructor guidelines and coordinator packet.

www.HealingBeyondBorders.org  →  Instructors Area  →  Instructor Guidelines

www.HealingBeyondBorders.org  →  Education  →  Coordinator  →  Coordinator Packet
(currently under revisions)

 

 

Created: HBB Ethics Committee 9/2015
Approved: 09/30/2015
Healing Beyond Borders Board of Directors
© Healing Beyond Borders 2015, All Rights Reserved