Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis, specification, design, development, testing and maintenance of software a beneficial and respected profession.
In accordance with their commitment to the health, safety and welfare of the public, software engineers shall adhere to following principles:
Eight Principles:
- Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest
- Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest
- Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible
- Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgement
- Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance
- Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues
- Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession
In addition, the W3C has put forth the following code to promote a positive work environment: Treat each other with respect, professionalism, fairness, and sensitivity to our many differences and strengths, including in situations of high pressure and urgency.
- Never harass or bully anyone verbally, physically or sexually.
- Never discriminate on the basis of personal characteristics or group membership.
- Communicate constructively and avoid demeaning or insulting behavior or language.
- Seek, accept, and offer objective work criticism, and acknowledge properly the contributions of others.
- Be honest about your own qualifications, and about any circumstances that might lead to conflicts of interest.
- Respect the privacy of others and the confidentiality of data you access.
- With respect to cultural differences, be conservative in what you do and liberal in what you accept from others, but not to the point of accepting disrespectful, unprofessional or unfair or unwelcome behavior or advances.
- Whenever inappropriate behaviors are observed, take action to bring the discussion back to a more civil level.
References
- Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (v.5.2) as recommended by the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices and jointly approved by the ACM and the IEEE-CS as the standard for teaching and practicing software engineering, Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
- Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, W3C