Where Do We Draw the Lines?

Where Do We Draw The Lines?

"Where Do We Draw The Lines" is an article from the book "The Good, The Bad, And Your Business," that was written by Jeffrey L. Seglin, and John Wiley & Sons. This article discusses how the boundary between our work lives and personal lives is becoming burred. This article looks at some ways in which the diminishing boundary has raised ethical issues in the workplace.

The nature of work is always changing. More women have entered the workforce, and there are many advances in technology. More women in the workforce have caused family responsibilities to shift. Companies now have to provide more flexible work hours to accommodate this shift. The internet allows us to do many things we could never do before. We are able to work from home, have our email on our cellphones so it is easy for us to mix up our work and personal life. This new found blurriness raises the question of if we can set aside personal ethics from the needs of the organization. When someone acts unethically in a business transaction, this is bound to break down the good character habit which he or she has developed up to this point. We observe what is accepted and we adapt. This is not always the right thing to do.

The internet is expanding drastically, and is now used by most people and organizations. The internet is allowing companies to be more productive as well as help to manage employees. There are issues arising with the internet as it allows employers to monitor everything employees are doing. When telephones were the main source of communication employees could have private conversations with whomever they wanted without worrying about their bosses hearing. Email is now the most efficient and preferred way of communication. Most people only use their work email so they do all work and personal items from that email. Employers have the right to read any emails sent or received by that employee because the company owns the email, and the emails were sent on company time. Employers need to draw the line between employees being productive, and invading people's right to privacy. If employers are reading employees emails it sends a message that they do not trust them. Email also brings up issues of the risks associated with it. When people write negative things in emails there is always the possibility of accidently sending that email to people they did not intend to. Employers need to talk to employees and clarify what they would like from them. Monitoring will not help an employee to make good decisions.

Employers have forgotten the simple way to solve most business dilemmas, which is talking to them. If employers do not talk with their staff, employees can become confused and not know what is appropriate or expected. Employees and people in general can sense when something is off in an organization. If they do not get disclosure, other inventive alternatives