Computer Ethics When Determining Ethical

Computer Ethics

When determining ethical workplace issues, it is important to gather all the facts, interview the relevant parties, and decide upon the actions that are relevant. In the case of the employees using eBay, I do not believe that either has intentionally wronged the company. Particularly, the employee using his lunch hour for uploading has not done so to the detriment of his work. Furthermore, the time he used is also his own, and this is acceptable according to the existing policies. There are however several policy and ethical issues that do have to be taken into account when using the resources belonging to the workplace. Uploading from the workplace means that workplace bandwidth and computer resources are used. Since this is paid by the employer, it is ethically unacceptable to upload for personal gain.

Specifically, both policy and ethics issues are at stake in this case. The policy documents state explicitly that high bandwidth sites such as You Tube and games sites are not to be used, precisely because of the bandwidth issue. This applies not as much to work hours as it does to the computer resources and costs themselves. Uploading high bandwidth items, even during lunch hours, from the workplace, especially as it is for personal financial gain, can therefore be seen as using company resources for gains that are not in fact shared with the company. In this, it could be said that the employer can legitimately object to the employee's actions. This action also violates the second policy that states that the workplace Internet connection can be used for personal purposes only to a limited extent. Earning at least $1,000 extra per month can hardly be construed as "limited use."

In terms of workplace ethics, the employee using workplace resources for this kind of personal gain is violating the ethic of fair dealing, using corporate opportunity for own gain, and is creating a conflict of interest. If the employee were to allowed to continue using workplace resources for his eBay uploading practices, this is not fair towards other employees, who follow the policy of using the Internet for only limited personal purposes. Other employees also dedicated all their work hours and resources towards the purpose for which they are employed, and therefore lose any potential earnings that would otherwise be available to them from the Internet. In this, the employee either needs to stop his lunchtime practices or all employees should have access to resources for online profit. I this is decided, very clear policy guidelines need to be in place regarding both time and resources. Furthermore, using company resources for personal financial gain without sharing such gains with the company and its employees constitutes the corporate opportunity prohibition. A conflict of interest could arise in terms of the company's reputation, as product information is uploaded from a resource that is identified as belonging to the company, and not to the individual personally.

While the employee in question might therefore believe that he is not violating any workplace ethics issues, since he conducts all his business during lunch hours and since none of this interferes with his workplace duties, it is clear from the above that there are both policy and ethics issues that need to be taken into consideration. The main issue is the costs involved in maintaining company computer resources. The policy regarding computer resources clearly states bandwidth as one of the problems relating to using upload and download sites such as eBay. The problem is that the company's resources are being used for personal financial gain, which the company is essentially losing in terms of maintenance costs. This is unfair not only towards the employer, but also towards other employees, who are following the policy guidelines correctly by not using the company's resources for this purpose.

Furthermore, it is possible that the employee has not considered the possible legal implications of his actions. Indeed, as mentioned above, the reputation of the company could be at stake, as it is identified as the owner of the upload software used for the eBay store. A conflict of interest also arises here, as the company has not control over the specific items the employee uploads for sale, or indeed their price. The implications for taxable income should also be very clearly considered; if this is not taken into account, the company could be liable not only for possibly questionable store items, but also for unrecognized tax amounts.

Clearly, action needs to be taken in order to handle the problem and reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion for all involved. It is however also important to recognize that the employee should be included in negotiations in order to settle the issue in as amiable and as informal a way as possible. I do not believe that bad behavior as such is the issue here; rather, the behavior is somewhat questionable and possibly not well thought through. While I do not believe that it is necessary to "set the correction in stone" or indeed to even make an "example" of the employee in question, it is important to help all employees understand that actions should be well considered before taken.

I would therefore recommend that the employee in question meet with management and ethics officers in order to discuss the issues. The employee needs to understand the specific issues involved. These should therefore be discussed with him very thoroughly and in an in-depth fashion. He should understand the precise reasons why his actions can be viewed as questionable, and how these could create both legal, financial, and other problems for the company. He should be questioned regarding his general loyalty to the company, and whether he would be willing to modify his behavior for the benefit of his employer and his coworkers.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the company in no way wishes to deter any employee from gaining additional income where possible and as necessary. The employer should emphasize his understanding that the need for additional income is becoming increasingly urgent in the current economy, and especially with additional expenses for family issues such as children in college. For this reason, I would not recommend forbidding the employee in question or others from continuing his online selling practices via the eBay site. I would however recommend much more stringent policies and implementations to make such practices available to employees across the board. Furthermore, the policy should include a phrase relating to the income generated from these practices, along with the time constraints that apply. Any employee engaged in online income generating practices from the work premises can for example pay a percentage of such income for the privilege of using company resources for this purpose. Furthermore, company liability can be curbed by providing interested employees with a personal online account that is separate from their identity as company employees. Each employee that chooses to be involved in online income opportunities from the workplace can also be provided with a contract stating that they take full responsibility for any legal issues arising from their online dealings. To curb the possibility of such dealings interfering with work time, employees can be obliged to limit their use of these accounts to something like half an hour per work day, which can then be supplemented by non-work hours such as lunch.

Since the existing policy was not sufficient to curb the practices under scrutiny, it is necessary to implement additional policies to streamline the online dealings within the company, and also to create opportunities for additional income both for the company and its employees. An outline or the new policy might therefore include the following items:

1) Use of company electronic resources for additional income:

Under this heading, the policy should provide that employees are allowed, for a limited time per day, to engage in online practices as a source of additional income. This is subject to each interested employee signing a contract for both their own and the company's protection.

2) Personal accounts:

After signing a contract, each relevant employee will receive a personal Internet account from which to conduct all personal business-related activities.

3) Time

The use of this facility will be available for one half hour during the work day, and whenever personnel choose to use it outside of work hours to a limit of three total hours per day