ETHICS
OVERVIEW
All employees
are expected to act as representatives of the company, in a legal, ethical, and
appropriate manner. Newly hired employees must be aware of various ethics and
compliance policies and expectations when they join the company. Various ethical considerations are introduced
during onboarding including Internet usage, code of conduct, business ethics,
copyright, privacy, security awareness, information security, privacy, and
social media best practices. These
topics will be covered in two ways:
- Formal written policies and
procedures related to each topic will be provided to all new hires and they
will be responsible for acknowledging that they have reviewed and understand
the content.
- eLearning courses related to each of the topics will be included in the onboarding training program required for all new employees. New employees will need to demonstrate their understanding by completing and passing assessments in each of the topics.
The company has
many shared values and principles, but it is up to each and every individual to
own these core values and ethics.
LEARNING
TECHNOLOGIES
Since the
onboarding program consists of various eLearning/web-based courses as well as
other forms of learning technologies, ethics topics relevant in the digital era
are essential and need to be communicated to the new employees to increase
their level of awareness.
Learning
technologies in the digital era offer benefits and variety to learners and
teachers, but also carry exposure to new risks related to social and ethical
issues. Technology greatly changes the way people learn. Everyone learns in a
different way and technology offers the ability to offer different approaches
and delivery methods to engage the learner.
The digital era and various new technologies have changed the
way we live, how we learn, and how we interact with others. Technology has
become a core part of our lives and our ability to learn. Online learning, collaboration,
connectivity, and interactivity all take place using the Internet and
socializing takes place through various online sources and methods. We utilize
new forms of interaction and connectivity keeping us connected anytime,
anywhere with applications and social networking tools like blogs, texting,
instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram, to name
a few. We exchange information
instantaneously, and share ideas, thoughts, pictures, and knowledge immediately
to any number of people. Training is necessary to help students
and employees understand what is considered right and wrong, and what is
considered socially and ethically correct in the digital era. As time goes on, technology will continue to
change, but there will still be a need for educators, students, business
people, and everyone in between to act ethically. Current
and future topics will be included within the onboarding program for new
employees.
COPYRIGHT
In today’s
digital era, intellectual property and copyright issues are a significant
concern. This is largely due to the
internet and just how easily content, resources, images, music, videos, and
other material can be accessed, reused, downloaded, and shared online.
According to
copyright.gov, "Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S.
Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a
tangible medium of expression" (2015).
EMAIL
PRIVACY IN THE WORKPLACE
As
technology usage grows, so does the ethical concerns related to email usage and
privacy. In my workplace, employees are asked to acknowledge a policy related
to email usage in the workplace. It is
part of a bigger policy addressing internet, email, electronic communications,
and information security. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that
employees use company computer systems and applications in a legal, ethical,
and appropriate manner. The policy also aims to safeguard employees, company
assets, and company information.
INFORMTION
SECURITY
By informing
students of the risks, they can be held accountable for making the best
decision possible when facing an ethical decision/scenario. Some of the areas
we are addressing in our policies related to information security include:
- Cyberbullying
- Sharing inappropriate content/images
- Hacking
- Systems access
- Password protection
INTERNET
Employees
need be informed of expectations related to Internet usage in the workplace and
must not use any technology in a manner that violates company policies.
CONCLUSION
In an
attempt to improve collaboration, interaction, and communication, technology in
the classroom is a requirement. By
offering policies and best practices, companies can leverage and balance
technology in a classroom environment while mitigating risks. This also allows the company to set standards
and expectations related to employee behavior.
REFERENCES
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