WORKPLACE PRIVACY & ETHICS
MODULE 4
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Workplace monitoring
- Keeping an eye on employees
- Monitoring will be done on quantity and quality of work produced by their employees
- Employees have some degree of privacy in the workplace.
- Excessive, routine and unnecessary monitoring is a breach of data protection laws
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Need of workplace monitoring
- Employee or customer safety
- Liability & investigations - harassments, theft
- Network and system performance: protection against virus, avoiding network slowdown etc.
- Right to know for employers: legitimate protection
- To check the procedure are following
- To prevent or detect crime
- In the interest of national interest
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Types of workplace monitoring
- Hardware monitoring
- Software monitoring
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Hardware monitoring
- Audio surveillance
- Video surveillance
- Infrared badges at work
- Mega stripe cards
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Software monitoring
- Electronic surveillance
- Spyware
- Screen, data, idle time monitoring
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Advantages
- Reduce mistake
- Employee safety
- Unbiased performance evaluation
- Violation of policies prevented
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Disadvantages
- Prevents efficiency - being too intrusive
- Expensive instrument
- Devious employees
- Too much monitoring leads to high infighting and competition rather than team competition
- Too much monitoring leads to discomfort of the employee
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Computer crime
- Type of fraud where computers are used
- It is an act performed by a knowledgeable user.
- Ex: unlawful use or access - hacking (without permission)
- Access for fraud
- Data theft - use/ copy/ damage/ alter information without permission
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Computer crime at workplace
- Computer crime is increasing in the workplace
- Use of authorization to get sensitive data, change it or sell it to make more money
- Most fraud is not committed by employees
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Types of computer crimes at workplace
- Software theft - theft-unlicensed copying
- Hardware theft - microprocessors, laptops, hard disk drives etc.
- Hardware theft is the most common fraud
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Preventing computer crimes at workplace
- Tactics such as encryption, firewalls, employee training and awareness, routine audit, physical surveillance, appointing security personnel
- Reward system for employees for reporting, employee initiated audit, updating computer virus program, ISO agreements etc.
Workplace plagiarism
- Act of fraud
- Involves both stealing someone's work and lying about it afterward
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Types of workplace plagiarism
- Using others' images & work
- Taking credit for an idea
- Failing to list a source
- Stealing blog content
- Reproducing an e-book
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Effect of workplace plagiarism
- Personal integrity
- Legal consequences
- Company reputation
- Fairness to colleagues
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Employee privacy and ethics
- Freedom for employees from unauthorized intrusion from employers
- Describes the context to which employers monitor and collect information on the activities, communication, and private lives of workers.
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- A controversial and legal issue
- Employers are allowed
- Other private spaces - lockers/ drawers - should not violate worker's privacy
- Tough task - to decide how much monitoring is necessary?
No privacy but convenience
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A debate...
- Would you like to have complete privacy in the workplace but accept the risk of potential abuse/ other problems?
- Are you ready to give away your privacy for the benefit of avoiding any problems?
Death of privacy
- Digital footprints - to track what employees do: delivery records, travel logs, expense reports, productivity reporting etc.
- Electronic toll collection tags - to record passing time in vehicle without stopping the toll.
- Cell phones - monthly bill can be reviewed
- Even location from where the calls were received/made could be traced - transmission towers
- GPS - should not track employee's location after working hours - unfair to do so. (global positioning system)
- Use all the above with legitimate business reasons.
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Defence of employee privacy rights
- Employers not to intrude employees' personal life, choices, background, habits etc.
- Without considering the employees' interests, not to be disclosed/discussed in public.
- Ex.: private messages in inbox, checking purses/wallets in public
- When an employee is not trusted, he/she would no longer see any incentive in being productive/efficient.
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- Increased surveillance leaves no room for employee self-control and self-monitoring.
- With data security and other organizational interests becoming paramount, the employee's rights for privacy and freedom are curtailed.
Breaching employee privacy
- During recruitment process - confidential info like family background etc. - if relevant but to be kept confidential in company records.
- During performance tracking - to check work habits, client management to find causes for poor performance etc.
- During electronic surveillance - necessary to keep a check on the workspace activities.
- Electronically stored employee data - getting access to other people - personal and professional data must be confidential.
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Guidelines to defend employee privacy
- Let there be a clear policy - taking consent and making employees aware of what is private and what is not.
- Only on legal grounds - no other utility of the monitoring tools.
- Do not have unnecessary harsh policies - result in attrition.
- No electronic harassment - offensive emails/dirty jokes - take enough care.
- Use of internet only for business.
- Use of all electronic tools for business or professional purpose.
- In-house privacy controller - for large organizations can be a representative for data protection and use of technology in the organization.
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This download link is referred from the post: VTU MBA Lecture Notes - 1st Sem, 2nd Sem, 3rd Sem and 4th Sem || Visvesvaraya Technological University
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