Code of M utual Respect and Cooperation for F aculty Staff and Students in T he E berly College of Science As members of the Eberly College of Science community we should be respectful of others at all times whether we are students staff or faculty We can create an environment that fosters mutual respect and dignity for everyone if we as individuals act upon the 12 Principles of the Code of Mutual Respect and Cooperation These principles remind us to conduct ourselves in a professional manner at all times and to promote a positive climate for everyone The 12 Principles of the code are 1 Treat everyone equally and with respect 2 Be courteous and tactful 3 Be ready to communicate 4 Encourage others and share your expertise with them 5 Give and accept constructive criticism 6 Be receptive to change 7 Be a team player 8 Get involved 9 Have a positive attitude 10 Be honest and accept responsibility 11 Recognize other e le r r t e 12 Strive to do your best 1 Treat everyone equally and with respect Students staff and faculty interact with each other frequently in the university environment Our interactions with each other can create a welcoming and productive atmosphere if we are respectful of others in the same way that we expect others to respect us As we go about our work we should recognize that everyone has an important part to play in the operation of our university and therefore it is to our benefit to make the organization work as efficiently as possible That can only happen if we treat each other respectfully across peer groups and equally within those peer groups 2 Be courteous and tactful We should remember to show our gratitude for any assistance that we receive from anyone within the university from the custodians and groundskeepers to the highest academic officers Friendly greetings and expressions of appreciation will produce a healthier work environment especially since some of us spend more time at work than we spend at home with our families It pays to be courteous when we interact with each other 3 Be ready to communicate Our work gets done more efficiently if we communicate with each other Many problems arise because we never talk to each other about things that might not be going smoothly or not working properly Often we expect that others will know what we are thinking in a given situation Instead the opposite is usually true because it is very hard to understand how other people think or feel So we need to talk to each other and to make the effort to put ourselves in e ne el e e ur act n 3 ll el u t under tand 3 e ne el e 5 t 6eel a they react to a specific situation It is essential that we communicate with each other when things are going right and especially when things are not going as expected 4 Encourage others and share your expertise with them Since we are part of an educational institution this is the place where we should share our knowledge with each other We can learn a lot from others even though we may be experts in our own area So take a moment to show encouragement to anyone who has just started in your unit or the university as well as younger people or those at levels below yours Take a moment to share your enthusiasm for your job and to teach them something new that they can share with others 5 Give and accept constructive criticism 7 8cr t c9 a er n 3 ud5e t e er t 6 an t er er n 3 r e can u e cr t c t congratulate someone on a job that was well done and to describe ways in which other jobs can be accomplished to great satisfaction We should always be open to such positive comments about our work and willing to learn new ways to improve our work habits Conversely persistent negative comments without constructive suggestions for improvement are counterproductive Constructive criticism is given in the spirit of encouragement when we truly want to help each other to improve and everyone benefits from this improvement 6 Be receptive to change We need to be receptive to change if we truly desire to improve our work performance As we learn new information we become different people because we have a broader base of knowledge from which we can view the world This improved perspective helps us to adapt to new environments and to new coworkers and enables us to learn even more 7 Be a team player Our university is a very big place and yet it can feel like a small place if we work together to achieve our goals We all depend on each other to make the system work smoothly For example the beautiful gardens cared for by the grounds keepers put us in a happy mood as we make our way to our offices The custodians make sure that our offices and facilities are clean and healthy for us The staff assistants process the paperwork so that students can register for the courses that they need and the faculty can be prepared for their classes Every part depends on every other part whether or not we recognize those links So it is important that we each play our role to the best of our abilities within our units and as part of the larger family at Penn State 8 Get involved As we become more involved in our work we become more productive and things run more smoothly Greater involvement in our work environment also results in improved communications between people especially as we get to know each other better 9 Have a positive attitude As we learn and mature we need to foster a work environment built on positive attitudes These improved attitudes lead to constructive interactions with others and allow us to learn from them 10 Be honest and accept responsibility When things are going well we are usually happy to take the credit for our successes And yet it is very hard to accept responsibility when things do not work out as planned Our challenge is to be our own toughest critics so we can understand why our efforts resulted in certain outcomes It takes practice to be able to review our own work with a positive attitude and with openness to positive criticism of ourselves The key is to be honest with ourselves and with others In an environment where positive criticism is readily given and received it should be easy to accept responsibility for our actions 11 e o ni e ot er peop e s priorities1 As we go about our busy lives we often forget that we are not the only ones who need to get our work done We all have to set priorities during the workday even if each activity takes only a few minutes to complete So if we are respectful of others we need to be patient and wait our