Case Summary
An accountant employed at a large accounting firm experiences significant downtime between assignments. During this period, the individual uses office equipment and company technology to develop a program designed to enhance work efficiency, potentially revolutionizing the industry. Recognizing its commercial potential, the accountant considers resigning to dedicate full-time resources to marketing the product. However, the program was created using company resources and during work hours.
Ethical Dilemmas at Work
Ethical dilemmas are inevitable in any workplace, underscoring the need for a well-defined code of ethics within organizations. However, workers and employees sometimes face far-reaching dilemmas that put them in seemingly complex positions, determining whether right or wrong actions are taken (Pambour, 2022). Using workplace resources and time for personal matters is a common practice among employees that can easily be qualified as an incident of ethical lapse. However, this depends on how much it affects employee productivity and general organizational performance. The case of utilizing organizational resources and time to develop an invention raises numerous ethical-related issues and consequences that are of high concern to the affected parties.
Case Analysis
Most companies have strict rules and guidelines on the use of company equipment and time during formal working hours. This is to ensure that employees dedicate their time and company resources to meet its goals and objectives. As much as employees follow these guidelines, assuming they stick to this requirement throughout their working cycle or paid time at the workplace is unrealistic.
In the modern technological world, where employees are allowed to use mobile devices and access the internet, temptations to engage in personal activities outside of formal work are fairly common (Pambour, 2022). This draws their attention away from their work, leading to a waste of time or misuse of company resources, clearly displaying unethical behavior in the workplace. Engaging in critical personal tasks requiring too much focus during paid hours raises numerous ethical concerns. For instance, in this case, using company time and resources to develop a highly classified computer program with potential future returns is a typical example of matters that raise ethical red flags.
The case contains numerous twists, such that the computerized accounting program was developed during downtime. Development, or, instead, this invention, did not affect work performance. Furthermore, it could mean that the employee chose to use the free time more productively than other employees who might have used the same resources and time to attend to other personal things, such as browsing or watching videos to pass the time. According to experts, employees can only legitimately attend to personal matters during downtime (Pambour, 2022).
It is unreasonable for employers to deny people the space to relax and break the boredom of slow days in the name of workplace ethics. Developing a program or an invention is special and cannot be treated as attending to personal errands during downtimes. This is because company resources were utilized during the product’s developmental stages without management’s permission. This cannot be treated as a simple case of personal activities done by an employer during downtimes.
Suggested Employee Actions
Considering that the program is already developed and ready for use at this particular stage, it would be more ethical and pragmatic to inform the company of this development and reach an agreement. The program was clearly developed using the company’s resources and could also benefit the company by enhancing its efficiency, especially in accounting. According to Yarbrough (2021), a company has a “shop of rights” over any invention that utilizes its resources. Therefore, the company is entitled to use the invention without paying royalties for the usage of this particular program.
The next step will be to go ahead with expansion plans to make the program available to other interested parties. Making the product available to other firms means revolutionizing the entire industry, which is a greater good not only to the firms in the industry but also a personal benefit to the inventor. This means resigning from the current position at the company and dedicating all available time and resources to marketing and selling the new product.
Suggested Managerial Actions
Nonetheless, considering the circumstances surrounding the development of the accounting program, I am proud if an employee agreed to invent a product using company resources. The first thing to consider is that the product was developed during downtimes and not when they were supposed to be actively involved in company duties. This is because, during such times, it is acceptable for employees to engage in personal indulgences as they wait for the resumption of formal activities.
Most employees do not use this time constructively and instead engage in time-wasting activities that do not yield far-reaching outcomes that benefit the organization. As such, although some ethical concerns are raised when an employee uses company resources to develop a program during downtime, there is a greater good. This is because the program can benefit the individual, the organization, and the industry as a whole.
References
Pambour, A. (2022). Christian ethics and eemployee mmanagement systems. ADRRI Journal (Multidisciplinary), 31(3 (8), 31-49.
Yarbrough,R. (2021). The vanishing employee and departing inventions-what’s an employer to do? Web.