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PROFESSIONALISM

A professional is someone who earns a living through skilled work or a particular occupation that requires specialized training or education. There are many types of professionals, including accountants, teachers, technicians, laborers, and more. Professionals are expected to adhere to certain standards of their occupation such as accountability, confidentiality, honesty, and integrity. An amateur pursues an activity without compensation and as a hobby rather than their career. Maintaining principles of professionalism like accountability, exceeding expectations, ethics, and clear communication are important for any workplace.

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17 views

PROFESSIONALISM

A professional is someone who earns a living through skilled work or a particular occupation that requires specialized training or education. There are many types of professionals, including accountants, teachers, technicians, laborers, and more. Professionals are expected to adhere to certain standards of their occupation such as accountability, confidentiality, honesty, and integrity. An amateur pursues an activity without compensation and as a hobby rather than their career. Maintaining principles of professionalism like accountability, exceeding expectations, ethics, and clear communication are important for any workplace.

Uploaded by

Jaya Mae Apolinario
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a Professional?

The term professional refers to anyone who earns their living from performing an
activity that requires a certain level of education, skill, or training. There is typically a
required standard of competency, knowledge, or education that must be demonstrated
(often in the form of an exam or credential), as well as adhering to codes of conduct
and ethical standards. 

Types of Professionals

There are many different types of professionals. Whether they are athletes or business
people, there are many categories and groups, which are listed below.

Types of professionals include:

 Accountant  Dietitian
 Teacher  Research Analyst
 Technician  Midwife
 Laborer  Mechanic
 Physical  Dentist
 Commercial Banker  Electrician
 Engineer  Consultant
 Lawyer  Investment Banker
 Psychologist  Programmer
 Pharmacist

Professional Standards

Professional standards are a set of practices, ethics, and behaviors that members of
a particular professional group must adhere to. These sets of standards are frequently
agreed to by a governing body that represents the interests of the group.

Examples of professional standards include:

 Accountability – takes responsibility for their actions


 Confidentiality – keeps all sensitive information private and away from those
who shouldn’t have access to it
 Fiduciary duty – places the needs of clients before their own
 Honesty – always being truthful
 Integrity – having strong moral principles
 Law-abiding – follows all governing laws in the jurisdictions they perform
activities
 Loyalty – remain committed to their profession
 Objectivity – not swayed or influenced by biases
 Transparency – revealing all relevant information and not concealing anything

Professional vs. Amateur

A professional performs an activity to earn a living and has demonstrated a certain


level of competence or earned a credential, whereas an amateur performs an activity
as a hobby, pastime, or without compensation.

Examples of amateurs include:

 Amateur athletes
 Amateur theater
 Amateur photography

4 PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONALISM
Today’s workplace is continually evolving. It is adapting to make room for new
ideas, new objectives, and a new generation of employees. As the workplace continues
to advance, it is critical that organizations highlight the importance of the principles of
professionalism and their lasting effects. When organizations make workplace
professionalism a priority and set standards of professionalism, employees will have a
clear understanding of what’s expected of them. Steven Pressfield, a great American
author, once said, “The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their
habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can
never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.”

Here are 4 principles of professionalism in the workplace that can help your
organization.

1. Be Accountable

The first principle for professionalism in the workplace is that every employee be
accountable. To be accountable is to have ownership of one’s actions and take full
responsibility for one’s decisions and the consequences – good or bad.

Steve Jobs once said, “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is
best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.” Mistakes
happen, it’s important that employees have the autonomy to try new things and make
mistakes. It’s equally important that employees learn to admit their mistakes, learn
from them, and ultimately learn from the overall experience. When mistakes happen
and there is no accountability, it can lead to finger-pointing, conflict, and mistrust. By
requiring accountability, organizations are setting the standard for excellence.
2. Exceed Expectations

The second principle for professionalism in the workplace is to exceed expectations.


Whether a tenured employee or a brand-new hire, it is important that all employees
strive for excellence. This partly falls upon managers to make sure that employees
know what is expected of them. In a study of 1.2 million employees across 22
organizations in seven industries and 45 countries, by Gallup, it was found that only
about half of all workers strongly indicate that they know what is expected of them at
work. Once expectations are set, employees should have the tools they need to meet
and exceed them. Those tools are often intrinsic and can be developed. Soft skills
training is a great way to encourage and develop employees to have the drive to excel
and exceed expectations.

3. Be Ethical

The third principle for professionalism in the workplace is a strong ethical


foundation. It is so important that organizations provide a clearly defined code of ethics
for both the organization and its employees. Workplace ethics are a popular topic right
now. In fact, Gallup did a study looking at workplace ethics and the results were
surprising – 45% of U.S. employees rate the moral values of their CEOs, presidents or
other business leaders as “excellent,” 30% rate them as “good” and only 23% rate
them as either “fair” or “poor.” Surprisingly, those same employees rated the moral
values of their coworkers at 35% “excellent”, 43% “good”, and 20% either “fair” or
“poor.” In short, CEOs outperformed coworkers when it came to rating moral values.
There is a clear nationwide need to develop employee workplace ethics. By setting and
requiring a high standard of ethics, organizations are setting their employees up for
success.

4. Clear Communication

The fourth principle for professionalism in the workplace is communication. From


verbal, body language, e-Etiquette, and more, it is so important that employees know
what is expected of them in terms of how they communicate. It is equally important
that employees be given the resources they need to develop their communication skills.
According to a report from the Economist, 63% of respondents believe communication
could be improved by using a wider range of tools. Organizations can help develop
communication skills by providing training designed to help employees communicate
with their colleagues, regardless of differing communication styles.

References:
https://thetrainingassociates.com/blog/principles-professionalism-workplace/
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/professional/

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