Ethical Decision Making Framework
Discuss about the Impact of Digital Business.
One of the main moral dilemmas faced by many professional workers is that they have to work beyond their regular working hours without being paid for the extra hours in order to fulfil the expectations of their organization as well as their work targets for each day. While sometimes the employees work on their own, some of the employees are forced to work beyond shift hours in order complete the targets set on them. In most of these cases, the company deliberately places an enormous target on each of the employees on the hope of increased productivity and chance of more revenue due to the same. Most of these organizations have the false notion that working overtime actually increases the overall productivity of the employees. While this statement is sometimes true, in almost all of these cases, the quality of work provided by the employees starts to degrade fast that in turn negatively impacts the requirements of the clients. Furthermore, for the extra efforts done by the employees, there are not sufficient remunerations or incentives even though they consistently stay long hours to complete their duties.
In this report, the ethical dilemma regarding the working of professional workers beyond working hours has been analyzed and discussed.
An ethical decision making framework is often used when a choice or opinion is to be determined during an ethical dilemma. For the chosen area of study, the following stakeholders are associated with the ethical decision making framework as follows.
The Company / Organization – The company provides services to the clients that are being prepared and delivered by the employees.
Professional Employees – The employees of the organization who are facing the ethical dilemma discussed.
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Table 1. Benefit-Harm Analysis |
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Framework |
IS Organization |
Professional Employees |
Clients of company |
Public/Customers |
IS profession |
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Benefits of this action? |
Increased productivity and profit [Impact: Short-term] |
Increased working hours and production, decreased quality of work [Impact: Medium-term] |
Instant service [Impact: Short-term] |
More customer oriented service [Impact: Short-term] |
Enhancement of hardworking skill [Impact: Long-term] |
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Harm caused by this action? |
Poor quality work, negative feedback from clients [Impact: Long-term] |
Health issues, unwillingness to work [Impact: Long-term] |
Getting cheated in spite of timely delivery of service [Impact: Long-term] |
Poor quality service received [Impact: Short-term] |
Employee depletion [Impact: Long-term] |
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Analysis report |
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IS Organization Benefit: Due to overtime working by the employees, the overall productivity of the organization increases significantly. According to Johnson (2017), this is a technique that is now widely used by the most IS organizations in spite of growing discontent among the employees. In order to increase the productivity, the companies have two main options: either hire more human resources or make the existing employees work overtime. However, hiring new employees will be very costly due to training costs and wages. Hence, the organizations generally choose the second option. Harm: Due to overtime duties, the quality of work presented by the employees decreases significantly. As a result, in spite of providing prompt service to the clients, generally negative feedbacks are received that highlight the poor quality of service provided by the company. |
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Professional Employees Benefit: With increased working hours, the persistence of the employees increases significantly increases as well as their hardworking skills. If the employees can cope with the pressure of overtime work, they will also be able to handle pressure situations at office much more efficiently. Harm: Kadushin and Harkness (2014) said that in spite of increased productivity, the quality of work generally decreases significantly. Having to do overtime, the employees generally try to finish the work as soon as possible without emphasizing on the quality of work. Furthermore, if there are no extra payments for overtime work, the employees get de-motivated and many of them provide poor quality work deliberately. The authors have also mentioned that due to this particular issue, many of the employees face severe health issues due to working overtime. Persistent health issues decrease the overall work efficiency of the employees and have long term negative impacts. |
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Clients of company Benefit: According to Kang, Matusik and Barclay (2017), if the employees are made to work overtime, generally the clients receive instant and prompt service as promised by the company itself. Harm: The clients of the company book services for the best quality of work and for that purpose, they pay high amounts of money. However, as mentioned previously, due to overtime work, the employees’ performances fall significantly and as a result, provide poor quality work. When the poor quality work is delivered to the clients, they feel cheated to receive such quality even after paying so much money for the services. |
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Public/Customers Benefit: Working of overtime by the employees means the service is much more customer oriented i.e. the organization cares more about serving the requirements of the customer rather than the needs and importance of the employees. Customer oriented service is much essential for developing a proper business relationship between the organization and the customers. Harm: Too much orientation towards the customers harms the interests of the employees. Furthermore, in spite of customer oriented service, the quality of work delivered is very poor and hence, the customer satisfaction will decrease constantly unless the desired quality of service is delivered. This is not possible if the employees are constantly forced to work overtime. |
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IS profession Benefit: Due to overtime work, the IS profession gains more efficient employees who have much more hardworking skills and pressure management skills than other regular employees. Furthermore, they are also able to develop new and shortcut methods to provide a service that save a lot of time and resources. Harm: However, according to Johnson (2017), not all employees are able to cope with the extra work and often resign from their jobs. Also, the overtime work has some negative impacts on the health of the employees and they are forced to leave their work. As a result, employee depletion occurs in the organization and the IS profession as whole. |
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Table 2. Analysis of Benefit, Harm and Contradiction when Universalized |
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Framework |
IS Organization |
Professional Employees |
Clients of company |
Public/Customers |
IS profession |
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Benefits if action is universalized |
Increase in instant revenue [Impact: Short-term] |
Enhancement of professional skills and pressure management skills [Impact: Long-term] |
Increase business relationship with company [Impact: Medium-term] |
Fast delivery of services [Impact: Long-term] |
No actual benefit |
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Harm if action is universalized |
Loss of employees in large numbers [Impact: Long-term] |
Severe health issues, depression, unwillingness to work [Impact: Long-term] |
Slow degradation of business relationship due to lack of service quality [Impact: Long-term implied] |
Poor quality service [Impact: Long-term] |
Loss of employees for the IS organizations [Impact: Medium-term] |
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Contradiction if action is universalized |
Additional payments for overtime work, additional benefits like an extra day off |
Hard work goes unacknowledged |
Seeking new business relationship with other companies |
No contradiction |
No contradiction |
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Analysis report |
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IS organization Benefit: Due to extra hours working by the employees, the general profitability of the organization increments altogether. As indicated by Kang, Matusik and Barclay (2017), this is a system that is presently broadly utilized by the most IS organizations regardless of developing discontent among the employees. Recruitment of extra manpower instead of overtime work is an option but it is costly and none of the IS organizations desire such expenses in order to maintain a sustainable profit. Harm: Due to extra time obligations, the quality of work introduced by the employees diminishes essentially. Accordingly, regardless of giving brief service to the customers, for the most part negative inputs are gotten that feature the low quality of service gave by the company. Since the quality of work delivered is very poor, the customer satisfaction will decrease constantly unless the desired quality of service is delivered. This is not possible if the employees are constantly forced to work overtime. Contradiction: The organization may pay minimal benefits and incentives to the employees for extra work. |
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Professional Employees Benefit: With expanded working hours, the persistence of the employees increases along with their pressure and work management skills. On the off chance that the employees can adapt to the weight of extra hours work, they will likewise have the capacity to deal with pressure circumstances at office significantly more productively. Harm: Johnson (2017) said that notwithstanding expanded efficiency, the quality of work by and large reductions fundamentally. Doing additional time, the employees by and large endeavor to finish the work at the earliest opportunity without underscoring on the quality of work. Moreover, if there are no additional payments or incentives for extra hours work, the employees get tired and a large number of them give low quality work purposely. The authors have accordingly specified that because of this particular issue, a significant number of the employees confront serious medical problems because of working extra time. Persistent medical problems diminish the general work effectiveness of the employees and have long haul negative effects. Contradiction: They will feel there work are going on unacknowledged and will also feel demotivated. |
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Clients of company Benefit: Employees are made to work overtime to satisfy the needs of the clients as well as bring in more clients. Fast delivery of services is one of the main targets of any IS organization that wants to develop customer oriented service. Harm: The customers of the company book services for the best quality of work and for that reason, they pay high amount of money. Notwithstanding, as said already, because of additional time work, the employees’ exhibitions fall fundamentally and subsequently, give low quality work. At the point when the low quality work is conveyed to the customers, they feel bamboozled to get such quality even subsequent to paying such a great amount of cash for the services. Contradiction: The clients of the company may seek new business relationships with other organizations. |
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Public/Customer Benefit: Working of additional time by the employees implies the service is substantially more client situated i.e. the organization thinks more about serving the prerequisites of the client as opposed to the requirements and significance of the employees. Client oriented service is much basic for building up a legitimate business connection between the organization and the clients. Harm: Too much inclination towards the clients harms the interests of the employees. Besides, disregarding client situated service, the quality of work conveyed is exceptionally poor and henceforth, the consumer loyalty will diminish always unless the coveted quality of service is conveyed. This is unrealistic if the employees are always compelled to work extra hours. Contradiction: No contradiction for this point. |
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IS profession Benefit: Due to extra hours work, the IS calling acquires proficient employees who have considerably more dedicated abilities and weight administration aptitudes than other standard employees. Moreover, they are additionally ready to grow new and easy route strategies to give a service that spare a considerable measure of time and resources. Harm: However, as indicated by Riordan and Osterman (2016), not all employees can adapt to the additional work and regularly leave from their occupations. Additionally, the extra time work has some negative effects on the wellbeing of the employees and they are compelled to leave their work. Accordingly, employee consumption happens in the organization and the IS calling as entirety. Contradiction: No contradiction for this point. |
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Table 3. Rights-based Analysis |
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Framework |
IS organization |
IS professionals |
Clients of company |
Public/Customers |
IS profession |
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Used as means to end, violating their rights? |
Violates right of some employees if the employees disagree to work overtime [Short-term Implication] |
Definitely violates the right of the employees [Long-term Implication] |
Violates the trust of the clients.[Short-term Implication] |
Customers’ trusts are violated. [Long-term Implication] |
The value of a profession is violated [Long-term Implication] |
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Violating rights, seen as unjust (to powerless), action taker has more power? |
Rights are violated for the benefit of the organization [Short-term Implication] |
Yes, more power to the action taker results in violation of rights without counter action [Long-term Implication] |
Company overpowers the clients in terms of delivery of service [Long-term Implication] |
Customers can escalate the issue if their rights are violated [Short-term Implication] |
Company violates the rights regardless, in order to increase profit margin [Long-term Implication] |
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Analysis report |
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IS organization The company will be able to address the ethical dilemma, yet will not approach to it since they are unwilling to undertake additional expenses for more human resources (Johnson 2107). The IS organizations, although are customer oriented, they should basically be called as profit oriented (Riordan and Osterman 2016). The companies can take any measures for earning profit even if it requires violation of the employees’ rights. |
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IS professionals According to the examination of Johnson (2017), in spite of being enthusiastic about work, the IS professionals may feel their rights are violated if they are made to perform extra work. Furthermore, in most cases, additional payments are not even made and hence, the employees do not feel interested to perform extra work. |
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Clients of company In these cases, the trusts of the clients are strictly violated (Clarke and Boersma 2017). The clients pay high amount of money expecting best quality services but instead receive poor quality work. |
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Public/Customers If the clients feel cheated by the company, they will form business relationship with some other company (Johnson 2017). Thus the service and rights violating company will start losing customers. |
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IS profession In this case, the value of profession is strictly disregarded (Riordan and Osterman 2016). Every work has a certain value and right that are not granted and moreover, the extra work is not even acknowledged. |
Conclusion
In this report, the ethical dilemma regarding the working of professional workers beyond working hours has been analyzed and discussed. One of the main moral dilemmas faced by many professional workers is that they have to work beyond their regular working hours without being paid for the extra hours in order to fulfil the expectations of their organization as well as their work targets for each day. In most of these cases, the company deliberately places an enormous target on each of the employees on the hope of increased productivity and chance of more revenue due to the same. If there are no extra payments for overtime work, the employees get de-motivated and many of them provide poor quality work deliberately. The authors have also mentioned that due to this particular issue, many of the employees face severe health issues due to working overtime. Persistent health issues decrease the overall work efficiency of the employees and have long term negative impacts.
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Table 4. Summary of Analysis |
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Framework |
IS organization |
IS professionals |
Clients of company |
Public/Customers |
IS profession |
Ethical? |
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Benefits of this action? |
YES |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
Very Unethical |
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Harm caused by this action? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
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Benefits if action is universalized |
YES |
NO |
MAYBE |
MAYBE |
YES |
Unethical |
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Harm if action is universalized |
MAYBE |
YES |
MAYBE |
MAYBE |
NO |
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Contradiction if action is universalized |
MAYBE |
YES |
YES |
YES |
MAYBE |
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Used as means to end, violating their rights? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
Very Unethical |
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Violating rights, seen as unjust (to powerless), action taker has more power? |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
NO |
Benefit-Harm Analysis
References
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