Computers in the Workplace: Are They Used Ethically? Essay

Today’s offices look very different from those in the late 1970s. Then typewriters, filing cabinets, and correction fluid were the norm. Today these items have been replaced by desktop and portable computers, database management systems, and word processing software. You are already familiar with some of the benefits of using computers in the workplace—for example, computers make it easier to manage the company database, accounting, and finance-related activities, and communications among different departments in a company—but what are some of the ethical issues that have arisen as a result of using computers in the workplace? Information technology is replacing energy as society’s main resource. Many people are concerned that too much emphasis has been put on what the computer can do to streamline business and too little on how it may be affecting the quality of our lives. For example, is it distorting the meaning of thought? That is, is it absurd and dangerous to attribute the capabilities of thinking and creativity to a computer? People have experience, convictions, and cultural traditions. Are these qualities being devalued? If so, perhaps we are heading into an era in which machinelike qualities of speed and problem solving will be valued more highly than what used to be called humane qualities. As a result, many people believe computers have the potential to contribute to worker dissatisfaction. Consider the potential for computer-based systems in business to be used to monitor employees. What if computers were (and some are already) programmed to check your speed, the pauses you make, the breaks you take, the rate of keying errors? Would it be fair for the company to do this to make sure it retains only the most efficient workers, and thus increase the value of goods and services it has to sell? Or would this detract from your dignity as a human being—your right to do some things better than you do others? And would this type of company get high-quality decisions from its employees—or would the employees be too afraid to work creatively? In addition, a growing percentage of the work force is working at home. Workers can communicate with their offices via a microcomputer and special communications software. In many cases, this arrangement enables workers in metropolitan areas to get work don instead of sitting in traffic. However, how does working at home affect employee morale, efficiency, and motivation? How does the employer maintain control over the employee? With these issues in mind, is the employee who works at home really more productive? Or not? Another important issue relates to the disabled. For most of us, computers make our lives more convenient. But for some people with disabilities, computers play a much greater role. Computers have the potential of equalizing the workplace by enabling people with mobility, vision, and hearing impairments to do the same work as someone who isn’t handicapped. Some disabled workers have difficulty holding down more than two keys at once or using a mouse. Blind workers need special translator hardware so they can read text and numbers. Fortunately, many add-on products are available to adapt standard microcomputers to the needs of the disabled, including voice translators for the blind and software that modifies the way the keyboard and the mouse are used. However, products such as these vary in sophistication and are usually quite expensive. As a result, very few companies make these purchases. Aren’t these companies discriminating against the handicapped? Many legislators are actively working to pass a bill that will make this form of discrimination illegal. In addition, software piracy, or theft, has become a major concern of software writers and manufacturers. The act of piracy is not as dramatic as it sounds; in most cases, it simply means illegally copying private-domain (copyrighted) software onto blank disks. Because some of this software—from games to heavy-duty business publishing programs—is expensive, it’s tempting to avoid purchasing an off-the-shelf package by accepting a friends offer to supply free copies. But, according to the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Computer Software Piracy and Counterfeiting Amendment of 1983, this practice is illegal. It is also unethical. Computer programmers and software companies often spend years developing, writing, testing, and marketing software programs only to lose many royalty dollars to software pirates. If you spent several years writing a book only to lose royalties through the distribution of illegal copied volumes, how would you feel? The issue is the same. Some software manufacturers write copy-protected programs into their software to prevent illegal copying; other software authors offer free (or inexpensive) copies of their programs (called shareware) through computer-user clubs and publications. Just remember: Before you consider making a copy or accepting a copy of a software program, make sure it’s legal—its theft can result in severe penalties. These are only a few of the many computer-related issues that are being discussed today. Keep in mind, however, that although these problems certainly deserve everyone’s attention, they should not obscure the opportunities that will be opened up if you know how to use computers in your chosen occupation.