An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment?

Improper use of proprietary information by engineers is a violation of engineering ethics. Using designs and/or any other information gained or even developed from a former workplace in a new workplace constitutes dishonesty, and if discovered, it is more likely to be a ground for litigation. It should be noted that even the ideas and designs hatched by an engineer in a previous workplace completely belong to the former employer, and an engineer has no right whatsoever to apply them in his or her new workplace. This applies to all cases even when the new company that an engineer is working for is not a direct competitor of his or her former company: “Engineers shall not reveal facts, data, or information obtained in a professional capacity without the prior consent of the client or employer.”

In regard to the question asked, it is unethical for an engineer to lure customers away from a previous employer. Stealing customers is an unfair means of carrying out business. It is also not alright for an engineer to use proprietary information obtained from a former workplace in a current workplace. This applies whether the current employer is a competitor or not. Skills developed in a previous workplace are often due to resources dedicated to developing them and therefore should also not be used in a current workplace. Any information that is of strategic advantage to a previous employer should not be used anywhere once employees change employers.

It is recommended that when an engineer needs to use data or/and ideas developed from a previous workplace, a licensing negotiation must be entered into with the former employer who owns the ideas.

Answer by Academic.tip's expert
An answer to this question is provided by one of our experts who specializes in engineering. Let us know how much you liked it and give it a rating.

Cite this page

Select a citation style:

References

Academic.Tips. (2021) 'An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment'. 6 July.

Reference

Academic.Tips. (2021, July 6). An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment? https://academic.tips/question/an-engineer-leaves-a-company-and-goes-to-work-for-a-competitor-a-is-it-ethical-for-the-engineer-to-try-to-lure-customers-away-from-the-previous-employer-b-is-it-alright-for-the-engineer-to-use-pro/

References

Academic.Tips. 2021. "An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment?" July 6, 2021. https://academic.tips/question/an-engineer-leaves-a-company-and-goes-to-work-for-a-competitor-a-is-it-ethical-for-the-engineer-to-try-to-lure-customers-away-from-the-previous-employer-b-is-it-alright-for-the-engineer-to-use-pro/.

1. Academic.Tips. "An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment?" July 6, 2021. https://academic.tips/question/an-engineer-leaves-a-company-and-goes-to-work-for-a-competitor-a-is-it-ethical-for-the-engineer-to-try-to-lure-customers-away-from-the-previous-employer-b-is-it-alright-for-the-engineer-to-use-pro/.


Bibliography


Academic.Tips. "An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment?" July 6, 2021. https://academic.tips/question/an-engineer-leaves-a-company-and-goes-to-work-for-a-competitor-a-is-it-ethical-for-the-engineer-to-try-to-lure-customers-away-from-the-previous-employer-b-is-it-alright-for-the-engineer-to-use-pro/.

Work Cited

"An engineer leaves a company and goes to work for a competitor. a. Is it ethical for the engineer to try to lure customers away from the previous employer? b. Is it alright for the engineer to use proprietary knowledge gained while working for the previous employer at the new job? How would the answer to this question change if the new job weren’t for the competitor? c. At a new job, is it acceptable to use skills developed during your previous employment?" Academic.Tips, 6 July 2021, academic.tips/question/an-engineer-leaves-a-company-and-goes-to-work-for-a-competitor-a-is-it-ethical-for-the-engineer-to-try-to-lure-customers-away-from-the-previous-employer-b-is-it-alright-for-the-engineer-to-use-pro/.

Copy