ethics final chapter 9

management styles

nothing affects work environment more than the style and quality of management. indeed a poor relationship with their immediate supervisor is the most common reason people give for leaving a job. office politics come second.

minoring employees on the job

often gathers personal information without informed consent. notifying employees of workplace monitoring does not constitute consent

daycare and maternity leave

only California and Washington are required to have paid maternity leave, some employers try to help with daycare .

employee polygraph protection act

prohibits most private employers from using lie detectors in "preemployment testing"

factors affecting job satisfaction

researchers began to realize that workers would be more productive if management met those needs that money cannot buy.

the moral concerns of polygraph test

1. the information of the organization seeks should be clearly and significantly related to the job. this caveat harks back to a determination of the legitimate areas of organizational influence over the individual 2. not only should the organization have job-related grounds for using polygraph, but these must be compelling enough to justify violating the individuals privacy and psychic freedom. at the very least, the organization must have no viable alternative way of getting extremely important information or must have exhausted other legitimate means first 3. assuming the grounds for using polygraph are sufficiently compelling, me must also be concerned about the sort of information being gathered, who will have access to it, and how it will be disposed of. normally, not only the results but also the fact that a person is being tested at all should be kept confidential. and it is always important to treat that person respectfully.

the importance of privacy

1st - we want to control intimate or personal information abut ourselves and not permit it to be freely available to everyone 2nd0 we wish to keep certain thoughts feelings, and behavior free from the scrutiny, monitoring, or observation of strangers 3rd- we value being able to make certain personal decisions autonomously

three moral concerns with childcare and maternity leave

1st women- women have a right to compete on equal terrain with men. 2nd- various ethical perspectives, the development of our potential capacities is a moral ideal perhaps even a human right. 3rd- although the past two or so decades have seen many criticisms of , and attempts to move beyond, the traditional male-female division of labor within the family, there can be little doubt that a the world of work tends to reproduce those patterns.

those that defend polygraph rely on three assumptions that are open to question

1st- is that lying riggers an involuntary, distinctive response that truth telling does not. 2nd- it is assumed that polygraphs are extraordinary accurate. 3rd- major assumption about polygraphs is that they cannot be beaten

job satisfaction

Frederdrick Herzberg discovered this. sufficient help, support, and information to accomplish the job, enough authority to carry out the work; and good pay. opportunity to develop special skills job security, and a chance to see the results of their work.

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health act prime responsibility to regulate working conditions passed from the states to the federal government. thrust act is "to ensure so far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions, " and it places a duty on employers to provide workplace "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious injury."

dissatisfaction on the job

The work in America report identified three chief sources of worker dissatisfaction 1. the industry's preoccupation with quantity, not quality; the rigidity of rules and regulations' and the fracturing of work into the smallest possible tasks, together with the monotonous repetition of those tasks 2. lack of opportunities to be one's own boss 3."bigness" more people today work for large corporations ever than before

importance of job satisfaction

both a moral concern and economic one. numerous mental health problems stem from a lack of job satisfaction. workers in boring passive jobs are 33 or 35 percent more likely to die prematurely

polygraph test

businesses cite several reasons for using this. only 95% accurate. 1st- the polygraph is a fast and economic way to verify information provided by a job applicant and to screen candidates for employment. can be used to reveal personal philosophy, behavioral patters, and character traits that are incompatible with the organization's image or purpose or that are not conducive to its functioning smoothly and effectively. 2nd- the polygraph allows employers to identify dishonest employees or job candidates, at a time when many companies are suffering staggering annual losses through in-house theft. 3rd- companies argue that the use of polygraphs permits business to abolish audits and oppressive controls. they say these of polygraphs actually increases workers freedom.

redesigning work

businesses must confront the fact of widespread job dissatisfaction and consider ways of improving the quality of work life

obtaining information

companies often gather highly personal information abut employees. the critical issue here is informed consent, which implies deliberation and fee choice. deliberation requires that employees be provided all significant facts concurring the information-gathering procedure and understand its consequences. free choice entails that the decision to participate must be voluntary and uncoerced

personality test

companies often wish to determine wether prospective employees are emotionally mature, get along well with others, and have good work ethic and more generally whether they would fit with the organization so they administer this.

Accidents

don't just happen they result from poor job practices and workplace environments that fail to prioritize safety

Hawthorne effect

experiment. every effort was made to to improve. workers respond well to attention and recognition

health and safety

explosion example: U.S steel corporation, BP employers have a moral obligation not to expose workers to needless risks or to negligently or recklessly endanger their lives or health

drug testing

first became a live issue for some sports fans when the national collegiate athletic association (NCAA) began banning college football players form postseason bowl competition based on the results of steroid testing

informed consent

implies deliberation and free choice, workers must voluntarily chose it.

false positives

it will falsely identify as liars people who are telling the truth

right to refuse dangerous work

legal right to refuse unsafe work by U.S Supreme Court.

additional remarks of drug testing

monitoring employees may be necessary but it can be abused and violate privacy. the same is true of drug testing, which also raises questions of test reliability and job relevance. companies must consider whether drug testing is necessary and if so design such programs to respect rights and dignity of employees as much as possible they must also determine how to respond appropriately to individuals who fail the test.

job stress

more than 30% of American workers say they are always or often under stress at work and a majority of them report increased workloads that leave them "overtired and overwhelmed"

musculoskeletal disorders

new health challenges. carpel tunnel, back pain, sciatica, tendinitis, and other musculoskeletal disorders. they think that OSHA has been laxed about situations that people obtain these disorders from the job.

wellness programs

sometimes organizations pressure employees in certain directions for their "own good" push employees to healthier lifestyles programs teach employees about nutrition, exercise, stress and heart disease. they want to increase productivity.

working conditions

the conditions under which people work include personnel policies and procedures, as well as the extent to which an organization is committed to respecting the rights and privacy of its employees

off the job conduct

the general proposition that a firm has a legitimate interest only in employee behavior that significantly influences work performance applies equally to this. individuals have a right to privacy, in particular a right to privacy, in particular a right to control certain information about themselves, to shelter aspects of their lives form public scrutiny, and to make personal decisions autonomously, free from illegitimate influence whenever an organization infringes on an individuals personal sphere, it must justify that infringement

assumption of risk

the presupposes informed consent.

legitimate and illegitimate influence

the work contract the firms responsibilities to owners consumers and society at large; and the purpose of the firm itself all support the proposition that the firm is legitimately interested in whatever significantly influences work performance. a firm has a legitimate interest in employee conduct off the job only if it affects work performance

civic activities

to enhance their image in community, business and other organizations have long prodded employees to donate to charitable causes during company-led fundraising drives, or encouraged them to participate in this off the job . like running for local school board or joining community service organizations. there has been a boom in corporate sponsored volunteer programs. sometimes they infringe on the right to privacy

privacy

widely acknowledged to be a fundamental right, yet corporate behavior and policies often threaten privacy.

improving work life

worker participation can increase productivity. worker-friendly companies tend to outperform traditional command- and control employers.