Ethics in IT

[Former Member]

I was working in USA for a (unnamed) fortune 500 company, when I was asked to evaluate desktop computers from various vendors. I basically looked at the price and performance, as the users were complaining about slow performance. We had about 1,000 desktops at out corporate headquarters.

I tested various computers in various configurations, and discovered that there was no need to buy everyone new computers - we could simply double the amount of RAM and performance would improve dramatically. My manager tried to convince me to not recommend this, and also tried to block my report. I resisted and my report went up to the CIO.

I was working in USA for this (unnamed) mid-size software firm as a consultant. When I was on-site at a client location, I completed tasks that were scheduled to take a week in about 3 days. My project leader told me to slow down and not go so fast. I resisted and ignored him.

These are just two examples of ethical challenges I faced when working in IT. I also faced ethical challenges when working in Singapore and India, so problems with ethics are not isolated to USA.

I believe that people are selfish, just looking after their own interests. My experiences in working around the world have proven this.

I would like to hear what ethical challenges you faced while working. I am sure that many of you would like to keep confidential such ethics problems, so I do not expect much response.

Al Lal

www.olap.wetpaint.com

[Former Member]

Hi Mate,

I have certainly come up against example 2 over here, and also where the time estimations have grown or shrunk to fit the needs of someone else, rather than the requirements of the solution.

The problem to my mind is the emphasis on the economics of a project and how this contributes to some person's agenda. Which is why as programmers we are on the receiving end of stupid estimates of time more often than not due to the fact projects seem to attract managers with no actual technical or functional abilities. In your case you stuck to your guns and applied your ethics to the situation. I do the same, and you end up with a reputation of being good and quick (and apparently grumpy) - which shows how many people actually toe the line and take on their directors'/manager's dodgy ethics and therefore build the perception that work takes longer than it actually does. Lets be clear - making a task swell to fit the available time is theft of your customer's money.

I think you will agree that all we really have in this life is the 1500cc's between our ears, and this is also the only thing we can't shut out or ignore. This means that we must stay true to our professional and personal ethics - if others have discovered a way to shut out their conscience that is their problem.

But does this mean I have just owned up to having voices in my head

Regards

Gareth

[marilyn_pratt]

Why not attach this conversation to the CSR topic.

You will also see a number of RESIST templates there that discuss ethics in a work environment.

[former_member374]

Hi Marilyn,

Ethics at the workplace? My first thought was: How about the violation of ethics by working too many hours? It is past nine here on the west coast, that means it is after midnight back east when you posted. Mmmh.

Did we both take the freedom today and enjoyed some hours away from work, and are now catching up? Or are we unethical to ourselves? Another debate would be whether that is at all possible

Good night, just one last email and then off, right? I'll try, Mark.

P.S. Good morning Europe

[marilyn_pratt]

You know me too well Mark. Work/Life balance might be an entirely distinct matter and different from ethics. Or do expectations and environment encourage these behaviors and thus become themselves a form of abuse? Jury is out. Much of our willingness to go beyond what would be considered a "normal" workday is the product of new demands and expectations, but it might be also tied very strongly to personal work habits or even ethics around sharing workload. When I lived in a community where there was no real "salary" or direct compensation per say, it didn't stop me from investing long hours in work activities as a contributing member of the community I lived in. Maybe that translates here too. Just looking at the volume of posts from people I know have demanding day jobs makes me realize that many folks here put in almost as much time or more into this community than I do, without it being their place of employment.

[David]

An extremely gray topic to discuss.

There are a combination of factors here.

1. People are self motivated to work extra hours - could be from fear or just an extra drive they have.

2. Technology as a flexihours enabler - to Mark's point - you can do other things during traditional work time periods and still get your plate of work done for the day as you can work on line.

3. Globalization of work teams - you have no choice. The bulk of your work group resides in time zones 5 to 6 hours off from yours. Marilyn and I deal with people that range from +10.5 to -3 hours off our time zone (in the Empire of New Jersey). We don't have a lot of choice but to start extremely early (I've attended a few con calls that started at 3AM my time for the Waldorfians) and some that run late my time (for the Palo Altans). It's just a fact of life.

None of this necessarily means you are putting in more than 8 actual working hours per day. Did I go back to sleep after the 3AM call was over.......you betcha I did.

DB

[Former Member]

Just a little caveat here

The time of posting doesn't at all mean that the guy was still at work.

SDN is open (usually) 24 hours a day so he could have been posting whilst on the Internet at home -- maybe during a commercial break in a TV program, downloading large files from the Net, just got back from the pub etc etc.

Cheers

jimbo