Unethical working behaviors have always been harmful to a company’s corporate culture. According to a survey from the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) in the United States, over 120 million individuals come into a workplace in the United States every day, with nearly half of them directly witnessing some ethical misbehavior within one year (Le, 2021). The paper will address unethical workplace mobile phone and internet misuse, examine potential legal issues, and recommend preventive measures.
The Identified Behavior and its Impact
Mobile technology and Internet access have complicated and made it more challenging to regulate unethical conduct. Le (2021) states that long work-irrelevant conversations with coworkers, personal phone calls during work hours, and performing personal errands during the business time are examples of ethical violations. Such infractions are usually evident and easy to detect and control. Nonetheless, personal correspondence, such as email or instant messaging, could be readily covered by mobile communication, web browsing history could be deleted, and personal activities could be conveniently completed online during work hours (Le, 2021). Almost all businesses in the United States and many businesses globally provide Internet connectivity in the workplace (Le, 2021). On the other hand, Internet access is offered for the benefit of corporate work, not for personal pleasure or satisfaction. Nevertheless, the digital world is enticing; it is full of websites to explore, movies to watch, and games to play (Le, 2021). Hence, mobile communication technology makes it easier for employees to participate in non-company-related activities.
In a digital age powered by mobile communications, any employee who receives specific inside knowledge has the potential to compromise the company’s information systems. As a result, any employee can perform the authority of all three responsibilities, allowing the transfer of firm items or resources and falsifying transaction records that are challenging to follow (Le, 2021). Additionally, mobile communication technology facilitates anonymizing private information, making such disclosures incredibly challenging to monitor or prosecute.
Not only employees may display unethical behavior but also their leaders. Fehr et al. (2019) acknowledge that employee assessments of leaders worsen when they commit fraud, steal from the organization, or mistreat an employee. Furthermore, employees lose faith in the leader, become less devoted to the business, and are more inclined to leave the firm entirely. Although there is a negative correlation between unethical leader behavior and follower reactions, not all employees react similarly (Fehr et al., 2019). The popular press is filled with stories of leaders who received their employees’ loyalty and trust despite engaging in unethical conduct (Fehr et al., 2019). Thus, it is vital to establish a corporate code of ethics for everyone working for a company.
Potential Legal Issues
A corporate code of ethics may assist in understanding potential legal issues caused by unethical behavior. For instance, stealing data and exposing confidential information are both illegal. It is prohibited for any employee or former employee to willfully divulge information to any person except as allowed in this title. Any infraction is a crime punishable by a fine of not more than “$5,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years” (26 U.S. Code § 7213, n.d., para. 3). Hence, activities like wasting working time on phone games or browsing the Internet are legal but unethical. Misusing access to corporate data and using mobile and Internet technology to share confidential information is unethical and illegal.
Preventive Practices
Some approaches for decreasing general workplace distractions may help limit employees’ time spent on phones and the Internet. Treece (2023) emphasizes that flexible work hours and the possibility of remote work, for instance, can assist employees in trying to maintain a work-life balance. Thus, workers can take care of personal duties during their off hours, allowing them to focus on work when on the clock. Creating quiet areas in the office and providing time-management courses may reduce wasted working time (Treece, 2023). Professionals may be less inclined to check their phones or browse the Internet if they can work in a quiet atmosphere. Additionally, employee monitoring software can track productivity while protecting against data theft.
A cell phone usage policy may assist in preventing unethical behaviors. For instance, it specifies how workers may interact with their cell phones and other mobile devices at work (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). It may be applied to any device capable of downloading data from the Internet or sending and receiving texts, emails, and phone calls. A mobile phone policy may allow employees to use their devices while taking allocated breaks (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Furthermore, employers should precisely define what is not permitted, such as using the Internet to access inappropriate or unlawful content and using the phone’s camera or voice recorder to preserve sensitive data.
Conclusion
To summarize, the availability of mobile devices and internet access necessitates organizations to address how their workers use their time at work. Unethical workplace practices have always been detrimental to a company’s corporate culture and success. Personal correspondence, such as instant messaging or email, might be concealed by mobile communication, and online browser history could be erased. Some behaviors, like stealing confidential data and disclosing it online, may have legal ramifications. The ethics code, smartphone usage policies, staff monitoring software, and flexible work hours may be feasible solutions to preventing unethical behavior.
References
26 U.S. Code § 7213- Unauthorized disclosure of information. (n.d.). Web.
Fehr, R., Fulmer, A., & Keng, F. (2019). How do employees react to leaders’ unethical behavior? The role of moral disengagement. Personnel Psychology, 73(1), 73-93. Web.
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021). How employers enforce cell phone policies in the workplace. Indeed. Web.
Le, T. (2021). Global challenges of mobile communication. In G. Salvendy & J. Wei (Eds.), Design, operation and evaluation of mobile communications (pp. 243-253). Springer. Web.
Treece, D. (2023). How much time are your employees wasting on their phones? Business News Daily. Web.