Ethical Behavior

1. Ethical Behavior 7-12 • Conforming to moral standards or conforming to standards of conduct of profession or group • Adapts to social norms and in response to needs and interests of those affected

2. Areas of Concern for Class 7-12 • Employee privacy • Testing and evaluation • Organizational research

3. Terms • Privacy – the state of being free from unsanctioned intrusion into one’s behavior or personal information • Confidentiality - discretion in keeping secret information • Ethical dilemma – any situation that has the potential to result in a breach of acceptable behavior • Ethical choice – considered choice among alternative courses of action in which the interests of all parties have been clarified and the risks and gains have been evaluated openly and mutually

4. Legally acceptable behavior with respect to privacy • EEO legislation – meaning and extent of unfair discrimination and how to avoid it • Professional standards and federal guidelines – appropriate procedures for developing and validating assessment instruments • Challenges of providing individual privacy and freedom of information

5. Does an employer have the right to search an employee’s computer files or review the employee’s email or voice mail?

6. Can companies keep information about the employee in separate files (the employee’s file and the supervisor’s file) and allow the employee access to only one?

7. Can employers use private investigation agencies to collect information about their employees?

8. Can an employer give employment information about an individual to a potential creditor or to a landlord?

9. Fair information practices • The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (1986) – prohibits outside interception of electronic mail by 3rd party without proper authorization; allows monitoring by employer • Employees should: • Know company’s written policy • Abstain from personal internet use if in doubt • Use own email account • Limit personal surfing/emailing to times outside office hours • When composing email or downloading info, ask yourself if you’d post in on your office door • When it comes to privacy in the workplace, assume you don’t have any

10. To establish a fair information practice policy, employers should: • Set up guidelines & policies to protect information in the organization • Limit information collection • Ensure accuracy, timeliness, completeness of info • Limit external disclosures • Inform employees of info-handling policies • Type and use of information • Become thoroughly familiar with state & federal laws regarding privacy • Regularly review for compliance • Establish a policy that any manager or non-manager who violates privacy principles will be subject to discipline or termination

11. Employees’ physical privacy Can employers physically search employees in the workplace?

12. We already heard that employers can electronically monitor you at work, but can they hire a private investigator to monitor you outside of work?

13. To ensure employee’s physical privacy • Base the search/seizure policy on legitimate employer interests • Include all types of searches • Provide adequate notice to employees before instituting the program • Instruct those conducting the search not to touch any employee (or to limit touching) • Conduct search away from other employees and on company time • Don’t observe in areas in which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy • Ask if employee would like attorney present during investigative interview

14. Testing and evaluation Making employment decisions Tests Interviews Situational exercises Performance appraisals Ethical issues Fairness Propriety Individual rights

15. Suppose you are in the middle of the hiring process at a company for which you really want to work. Also suppose the company expects you to submit to a round of testing – personality tests, intelligence tests, ability tests. What type of treatment would you expect regarding the testing procedures?

16. Responsibilities to those evaluated • Guarding against invasion of privacy • Treating employees with respect • Standardizing procedures • Test accuracy - Minimizing erroneous acceptance & rejection decisions • Ensuring validity of instrument • Contrasting social consequences of proposed test with potential consequences of alternatives or none • Providing reasonable opportunities for retesting and reconsideration

17. Obligations to employers • Conveying accurate info regarding expectations for usefulness • Providing reliable, valid, fair info within limits of resources • Balancing vested interest of employer with government regulations and with those evaluated

18. In her last job, a worker’s job title was HR assistant and her responsibilities were to help the HR director by taking employment interviews developed by the HR director and create documents from them, create the database corresponding to the compensation plan developed by the HR director, and creating a system to organize employee files containing performance evaluations conducted by the HR director. She learned a great deal from this HR director during her tenure with the company, but she is currently updating her resume to look for a new position. When she lists her experience, can she say that she has experience creating employment interviews, creating compensation systems, and creating performance evaluation systems?

19. Suppose you work for a large organization and there is talk that the employees are going to file suit against the company for improper hiring and promotion practices. The head of HR asks you to conduct research into the company’s previous decisions but asks you to keep your findings secret. You find that the company has been discriminating against minorities. What would you do?

20. Organizational Research • Some common ethical dilemmas • Misrepresentation of qualifications and collusion • Misuse of data • Manipulation and coercion • Value and goal conflict • Technical ineptness • Some methods for addressing the issues • Clarify roles • Reduce role conflict • Clarify norms

21. Who do you think will blow the whistle? Those working for organizations perceived by others to be responsible to complaints or not responsible to them? Those who hold professional or nonprofessional positions? Those with positive or negative attitudes toward their work? Those with long or short service with the company? Those who have recently been recognized for good performance or those who have recently received poor evaluations? Women or men? Those working in large or small work groups?