Introduction
Individual ethical orientations have considerable influence on the professional conduct and decision-making of any staff. Moral opinions of right or wrong vary from one individual to another and across cultures. Thus, the overall behavior and decision-making of a staff depend on their cultural backgrounds and their perception of right and wrong. This paper will review the ethical issue of employee monitoring and give views based on the ethical theories.
Employee monitoring is using surveillance to collect information about the activities and whereabouts of members of staff. Its primary intention is to improve productivity and prevent negative behavior of employees that might hurt the business.
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A Review of Employee Monitoring
Is it ethical for companies to monitor employees? What methods of monitoring are appropriate? These questions are among many that have been the center of debates and arguments on employee monitoring. The United States has evolved from an industrial age to an information age as of the beginning of the 21st century (Yerby, 2013). With the onset of the internet age, employers face severe challenges from employees who misuse and abuse this new medium of communication. To curb this, employers use monitoring technology that helps them to view and record everything their staff does on their computers (Yerby, 2013). Is this morally right or wrong?
From a legal perspective, employers have the advantage, and the employees have little grounds of contesting this. If a business has communicated its internet privacy policy with staff members, the law allows for free monitoring of the use of company resources (Gallagher, 2014). However, where should the employer draw the line on surveillance? When does the monitoring get too far? Is it possible to effectively draw the line on surveillance? From the employees' perspective, the argument is quite different. Before the Internet age, when the employees only had pen and paper, or at best a typewriter, to communicate, was the employer justified to read employees' letters, memos, and personal notes (Gallagher, 2014)? Most people would agree that this is unethical and a violation of individual privacy. So the question is, why does this opinion differ during this electronic age?
Employers must understand and accept the thin ethical line between information gathering and privacy infringement. Failure of employers to respect the rights of employees may result in costly lawsuits and an adverse effect on the company's image (Moussa, 2015). Considering all reasons, perspectives, and opinions behind the monitoring of employees, it is essential to argue that any form of privacy infringement is ethically unacceptable. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory which states that right or wrong is determined by the consequences of the action (Eggleston, 2012). This approach requires people to act in ways that result in the overall well-being of people; the phrase "the greatest good for the greatest number" explains the theory (Eggleston, 2012). It would thus be morally right to argue that employee monitoring is unethical because it does not result in the happiness of many people; the management of a business are the only ones who are contented with this action against the more substantial number of employees.
Philosophies used in business decision-making
Companies and organizations have increased their devotion to investigating ethical issues because of the collapse of many businesses (Al-Aidaros, Mohd-Shamsudin, & Idris, 2013). This circumstance correlates with the fact that the existing ethical guidelines are not distinct and understandable (Al-Aidaros, Mohd-Shamsudin, & Idris, 2013). Various philosophical interpretations of ethics and morality mean that different individuals have different reasons and justifications for their actions. What might appear morally wrong to the public may be ethically right to a particular individual. This section of this paper will give a review of the following ethical philosophies: utilitarianism, teleology, egoism, deontology, virtue ethics, and justice. Egoism advocates for the satisfaction of one's desires and needs; this theory states that one is right if it realizes one's interests (Sadler, 2011).
On the contrary, utilitarianism, whose chief proponent was J. S. Mill defines good or bad depending on the consequence of the action. This theory states that one should choose a move which will result in the greatest happiness (Sadler, 2011). Additionally, Sadler (2011) says that the principle behind virtue ethics is the conformity of a certain deed to cultural traits which are traditionally acknowledged as right or wrong. Teleological principles are based on the outcome of an action; according to the theory an action is deemed morally right or wrong depending on whether the desired results have a positive or negative impact (Baumane-Vitolina, Cals, & Sumilo, 2015).
In comparison, virtue ethics (developed by Aristotle) puts people in an intertwined web of relationships as the only way to achieve gratification and happiness whereas egoism and deontology stress on principles that are implemented by individuals and prioritizes one's interests over other's interests (Baumane-Vitolina, Cals, & Sumilo, 2015). It is important to note that deontological, teleological, and virtue ethics have some similarities and explanations depending on the phenomenon in the study.
Conclusion
Ethics helps in understanding the reasons behind human actions. Teleological and utilitarian ethics were the main aspects of explaining human behavior in business, but other ethical theories proposed by various authors have proved to be helpful in analyzing human behavior. New ethical models suggest that there are other motives behind human behavior other than the traditional concepts of the maximization of self-interest and pleasure.
References
Al-Aidaros, A., Mohd-Shamsudin, F., & Idris, K. (2013). Ethics and Ethical Theories from an Islamic Perspective. International Journal of Islamic Thought. 4. 1-13.
Baumane-Vitolina, I., Cals, I., & Sumilo, E. (2016). Is Ethics Rational? Teleological, Deontological and Virtue Ethics Theories Reconciled in the Context of Traditional Economic Decision Making. Procedia Economics And Finance , 39, 108-114. doi: 10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30249-0
Eggleston, B. (2012). Utilitarianism . Retrieved from http://www.benegg.net/publications/Eggleston_Utilitarianism.pdf .
Gallagher, S. (2014). Ethical considerations in monitoring employee Internet usage. Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics . Retrieved from https://www.corporatecompliance.org/Portals/1/PDF/Resources/ethikos/past-issues/2014/scce-2014-03-ethikos-gallagher.pdf .
Sadler, G.B. (2011). Five Ethical Theories: Bare Bones for Business Educators . Retrieved from http://missionparalegal.pbworks.com/f/Five+Ethical+Theories.pdf
Moussa, M. (2015). Monitoring Employee Behavior Through the Use of Technology and Issues of Employee Privacy in America. SAGE Open , 5(2), 215824401558016. doi: 10.1177/2158244015580168
Yerby, J. (2013). Legal and ethical issues of employee monitoring. Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management. 1. 44-55.
