Module 8 Ethics Activity Discussion
Discussion Instructions
To complete this discussion, you must make an initial post responding to the ethical dilemma questions. Please address all the questions in full and cite your sources. Secondly, you must respond to another student's post in which you further the discussion. Start by reflecting on the original post. You may ask further questions, comment on the strength of their reply, address information that is missing, or provide examples that correspond with the topic. Agreement with the initial response is not required, but responses should reflect be supported with analogies, examples, research, or content from the text. All students should respectful of differences of opinions.
Ethics Discussion
Tracking employee information through global positioning systems (GPS)—in particular, on company vehicles driven by employees—is becoming commonplace. Location information is transmitted to a server via the cell phone network (and sometimes via satellite phone service) and is then available to the company through the web or mobile apps.
As the cost of GPS drops and the number of mobile workers rises—by some accounts, to as much as 75 percent of the workforce by 2020—companies are depending on GPS to monitor the movement of personnel and products to improve customer service and help with time management. “I wanted to see how much time was spent on each job,” says one small business owner with a fleet of seven service vehicles. “We’ve had a few problems in the past—people weren’t where they said they’d be. With GPS, we can defend ourselves to the customers. We know how fast the drivers drove, what route they took, and how long they spent on each job.” Late in 2017, four wastewater plant mechanics employed by the city of Modesto, California, were fired after GPS showed they used “work hours to socialize at the lift stations with [each other], go home, shop, sleep and drive around in the City utility vehicle.”
Companies are not only tracking vehicles, but many now track employees through their mobile phones. Understandably, many employees don’t like the idea of Big Brother following their every move; most states allow employers to track their employees’ location even in off hours. Many employees take their company vehicles home after their shifts, but even employees with company-owned phones may be tracked after hours, too.
Surveys show that many GPS-tracked employees have serious concerns about after-hours tracking, micromanagement, and privacy [https://www.tsheets.com/gps-survey]. In 2015, a woman in California sued her employer, claiming that she was tracked 24 hours a day through her company-issued iPhone. And when she uninstalled the tracking app, she was fired.
Using a web search tool, locate articles about this topic, and then write responses to the following questions. Be sure to support your arguments and cite your sources.
Ethical Dilemma: Do GPS devices constitute an invasion of employee privacy? Are there guidelines companies can develop for appropriate GPS use?
Related Chapter Outcomes and Course Goals
This group assignment addresses the following course goals:- Describe the ethical, regulatory, and social environments of business.
- Explain accounting and financial management including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and sources of funding.
- Describe the functions of the business manager: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
- Explain the human resource management process and how are human resource needs determined.
- Discuss how performance appraisals are used to evaluate employee performance.
- Explain how grievances between management and labor are resolved, and what tactics are used to force a contract settlement.
- List key laws and federal agencies affecting human resource management and labor relations.
- Recognize trends and issues affecting human resource management and labor relations.
Grade Value and Rubric
This discussion activity is worth 15 points.The course discussion rubric is applied to this discussion