This document discusses the ethics of monitoring employees' virtual lives on social media. It argues that while an organizational culture that respects employees can increase productivity, some monitoring of social media is acceptable as employees represent their companies online. However, private matters should remain private, and disciplinary actions based on social media activities must be reasonable and consistent with organizational values. Striking a balance between oversight and privacy is important for maintaining a healthy and productive work culture.

1. THE SOCIETY WITHIN AN
ORGANIZATION – THE ETHICS OF
MONITORIZING THE „VIRTUAL LIFE”
OF EMPLOYEES
Student: Carvaţchi Oana
Coordinating Professor: Conf.univ.dr. Olteanu Cosmin
University of Bucharest
Faculty of Business Administration
Business Consulting Master’s Program

2. technology
organisational culture
society
people
social networking
employee
employer
virtual life
change

3. 1.The Existence of a Community
within the Organisation
maximise long-term owner value by selling
goods and services
the way people interact at work influences
their attitude towards the general purpose
of the firm
people respond to other types of incentives
as well

4. organisational culture
the specific collection of values and norms that are
shared by people and groups in an organization and
that control the way they interact with each other
and with stakeholders outside the organization
the values of an organisation change the natural
way people act so as to control the behaviour of
organizational members towards one another

5. healthy organisational culture
organizations are to strive for what is considered a
“healthy” organizational culture in order to increase
productivity, growth, efficiency and reduce employee
turnover and other counterproductive behaviour
•acceptance and appreciation for diversity;
•regard for each employee;
•equal opportunities for each employee to realise their full
potential within the organisation;
•strong communication with all employees regarding
policies and company issues;
•respect for each employee’s contribution to the company.

6. benefits of an employee-
oriented company
•better aligning the company towards achieving its
vision, mission, and goals;
•high employee motivation and loyalty;
•increased team cohesiveness among the company’s
various departments and divisions;
•promoting consistency and encouraging
coordination and control within the company;
•shaping employee behavior at work, enabling
the organization to be more efficient.

7. • Continuous improvement (long-term
philosophy, the right process will produce the
right results);
• Respect for people (add value to the
organization by developing your people and
partners, continuously solving root problems
drives organizational learning).

8. Kaisha
Hansei
people-oriented priciples
the influence the employee holds in the
organisation
Toyota’s philosophy is based on the workers’
culture, their traditions, for them to relate to the
company’s goal more easily
the power is held by people and that the most
important resource are not the machines, but the
creativity of its subordinates, it also encouraged the
development of a “family” within their company

9. 2.Social Networking in the Working
Environment
people are able to connect with everyone
within Internet reach
some companies use social networking sites to
monitor their employees
once the employee allows a superior to have
access to his/her profile everything that is said
or posted in the profile can be used against the
employee

10. What is Social Media?
• Social media refers to interaction among
people in which they create, share, and/or
exchange information and ideas in virtual
communities and networks.
• Your electronic second life

12. And the most important thing…
All the content is user
generated!

13. 17% of companies with 1000 or more employees report
to have had issues with their workers’ use of social
media
8% of companies report having actually dismissed
someone for their behaviour on sites like Facebook or
LinkedIn
15% of companies have disciplined an employee for
violating multimedia sharing/posting policies

14. A Swiss woman was fired after calling in
sick and then logging into Facebook on her
“sick day.” Apparently the woman had a
migraine and called out of work because
she thought the light from a computer
would bother her and she needed to lie in
a dark room. When her employer caught
her surfing Facebook, it was presumed
that she was indeed well enough to sit in
front of a computer, and she was let go.
the manager is left to decide which transgression
should be punished by dismissing and which is to
be barely disciplined

15. as stated in the organisational culture principles, the
subordinate must show “employee pride” and
enthusiasm for the organization and the work
performed
allowing members of the same firm to connect with
each other and their superiors online improves
relations within the firm
people seeking for a job must accept their share of responsibility
and avoid making references of their working place outside the
firm and those who seek to employ must understand that the
private lives of those who represent the firm through their work
must not be used against them

17. Be careful …
• Don’t overshare
– Social media quickly breaks down personal
barriers
– We can reach certain subjects more easily
• Don’t get distracted
– When you are checking your smartphone you are
there, but you aren’t paying attention completely
– Put down your social media connections and focus
on what is happening around you

18. Source:
http://www.evolve
dmommy.com/36-
rules-of-social-
media-simple-but-
not-easy/

19. References
Books:
• Hill, Charles W. L. and Jones, Gareth R. - Strategic Management (Houghton Mifflin Press, 2001);
• Sternberg, Elaine – Just Business: Business Ethics in Action (Oxford University Press, London, 2000);
• Taiichi Ohno - Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production (Cambridge Publishing, London, 1988);
• Toma, Sorin-George – Economy of Enterprises course (2010-2011);
• Toma, Sorin-George – Economy of Enterprises textbook (ASE Publishing, București, 2007);
• *** The Toyota Way 2001 – Toyota internal document.
Online publications:
• *** BNet online magazine – Suzanne Lucas - Yes, You Should Be Fired For That Facebook Post
(http://www.bnet.com/blog/evil-hr-lady/yes-you-should-be-fired-for-that-facebook-post-no-matter-what-the-feds-say-next-
week/1595 accessed March 27, 2014);
• *** Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.facebook.com/#!/terms.php accessed March 27, 2014);
• *** Proofpoint Report on Outbound Email Security and Data Loss Prevention (http://www.marketwire.com/press-
release/Proofpoint-Survey-Says-State-Economy-Leads-Increased-Data-Loss-Risk-Large-Companies-1027877.htm accessed
March 26, 2014);
• Chopra, Karan – The Effects of Social Media on How we Speak and Write
(http://socialmediatoday.com/karenn1617/1745751/effects-social-media-how-we-speak-and-write , Accessed March 3,
2014);
• Humphries, Mattew – Social Media Explained with Donuts (http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/social-media-explained-with-
donuts-1466613/ , accessed March 3, 2014);
• Lambert, Jaclyn – How the Digital Age has Shaped Communication Management
(http://socialmediatoday.com/1693896/how-digital-age-has-shaped-communication-management-infographic, accessed
March 3, 2014).
• The Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=social+media, accessed March 3, 2014)