FENASSEC International - Professional Code of Ethics

Professional Code of Ethics

It was really necessary that this important and particular profession with so many responsibilities and working together with the decision maker centers in several organizations of our country had a Professional Code of Ethics which would serve as a tool and guide for the Professional Secretaries action in the marketplace. Thus, the Professional Code of Ethics was created in 1973 and since then, has oriented and followed the profession's evolution. The present Code of Ethics was revised and updated on July 7 th, 1989 by the National Federation of Secretaries Board of Directors (FENASSEC) and is still valid all over the country.

Brazilian Secretaries Professional Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics is one of the basic tools for the correct performance as professionals. If you do not know it yet, take some minutes to read it. If you already know it, take some minutes to re-read it. Leave it at hand, distribute it among your colleagues, show it to the Human Resources Departament and to the executives of your company.
Think about it and imagine how - individually or in teams - the Code of Ethics can better used. As you make your performance evaluation, have the Code in mind.

Brazilian Secretaries Professional Code of Ethics
( Published in the Brazilian Oficial Journal dated July 7th 1989)

Chapter I
Fundamental Principles

Article 1 - It is considered Secretary, entitled to work in the profession, the person legally autorized in accordance with the law in effect.
Article 2 - The present Professional Code of Ethics has as objective the establishment of procedures for the professionals to perform their jobs, regulating their relations with their own category, public affairs and with the society.
Article 3 - It is the professional Secretaries responsibility to watch over the reputation of their profession, treating it with the most care and contributing, with their performance and example to promote the category, obeying the moral and legal principles.

Chapter II
Rights

Article 4 - The Secretaries rights are:
a) guarantee and defend prerogatives established by the law;
b) participate of corporations which represent the category;
c) participate of activities, either public or not, which aim at defending the category rights;
d) defend the moral and social integrity of the profession, informing any kind of demoralizing action to the representatives of the category;
e) receive remuneration compatible with the professional with the same level of education;
f) be admitted to training courses and other events whose objetive is the professional improvement;
g) have a work schedule compatible with the labor legislation in effect.

Chapter III
Fundamental Duties

Article 5 - The professional secretaries fundamental duties are:
a) consider the profession as a way a professional fulfillment;
b) direct their professional behavior towards the truth, moral and ethics;
c) respect their profession and perform their activies always looking for improvement;
d) expedite and facilitate adequately the communication process with the public;
e) be positive in their actions and decisions, knowing how to express and perform their activities;
f) be aware of all subjects related to their profession and be informed of all technological developments which could facilitate their performance;
g) fight for the development of the profession;
h) fight against the illegal practice of the profession;
i) cooperate with institutions which provide specific courses, offering them assistance and orientation.

Chapter IV
Professional Secrecy

Article 6 - The professional secretaries must keep absolute secrecy about subjects and documents confided to them.
Article 7 - The professional secretaries are prohibited to sign documents which could prejudice the professional dignity of the category.

Chapter V
Relations among professional secretaries

Article 8 - It is the professional secretaries responsability:
a) maintain the solidarity and community of interests as to:
b) establish and maintain a courteous professional atmosphere in the work environment, avoiding disagreements and professional misunderstandings;
c) respect the individual characteristics without any religious, political or social prejudices;
d) establish an atmosphere of respect to hierarchy with leadership and competence.
Article 9 - It is prohibited:
a) to take advantage of friendshisp, position, status and influence obtained when holding the job, to get any kind of personal facilities prejudicing other professionals;
b) to prejudice deliberately the professional reputation of other secretary;
c) to be connivent with an error, infraction or any legal transgression by means of solidarity;

Chapter VI
Relations with the Company

Article 10 - It is the professional secretaries responsibility when holding the job:
a) to be identified with the philosophy of the Company, being a facilitator and collaborator in the implementation of administrative and political changes;
b) to be a facilitator of the interpersonal relations in their area of action;
c) to be a key factor in the flow of information, developing and maintaining the communication systems in a dinamic and continuous way;
Article 11 - It is prohibited:
a) to take advantage of their neraness to the supervisor in order to obtain special favors or establish a differenciated work achedule;
b) to prejudice deliberately other professionals in the workplace.

Chapter VII
Relations with the representative corporations of the category

Article 12 - The professional secretaries must participate actively of their representative corporations, collaborating and supporting actions which have the objective of defending the professional rights.
Article 13 - Respect and follow the resolutions approved by the category representatives.
Article 14 - When holding any managerial function within the category representatives, do not take advantage of the position in their own benefit.
Article 15 - Participate of the social actions and/or studies related with their field of activity.
Article 16 - The professional secretaries must perform their duties such as taxes and payments, legally established, to their category representatives.

Chapter VIII
Obedience, Application and Effectiveness of the Code of Ethics

Article 17 - To obey and follow this Code is the professional secretaries duty.
Article 18 - The academician secretary must inform, clarify and orientate the students as to the procedures and principles contained in this Code.
Article 19 - The infractions against this Professional Code of Ethics will result in penalties, from admonition to the cancelling of the Professional registration according to the legal principles and procedures by the National Federation of Secretaries.
Article 20 - The infractions are:
a) transgress the principles contained in this Code;
b) work in the profession without the adequate qualification and certificate according to the specific legislation;
c)use the name of the professional secretary category without the sanction of the class unions, on a state level or of the National Federation of Secretaries on a national level.

fenassec@fenassec.com.br