Table of Contents
Who owns the technology?
Private Lives in Public Arena
Is Surveillance Always Legitimate
Is it a long time since you were not bothered by technology for a full day? Personally, I cannot recall a single day when I didn’t use technology. The technology-savvy generation that I belong to is constantly inundated. We are connected all the time because of it. Many people check their email from work on their mobile phones and tablets. They can reply to emails even if they’re out of the office. This means they can’t separate work and home. They are always working, regardless of whether they think so.
Who is the Technology Owner?This is a case I can relate too. I find that there is nothing I can do at work so I turn to social media. Miranda shouldn’t be in trouble because she uses social media and shops online. An office job doesn’t require you to pay attention 24/7. The statement that Miranda feels she could take more initiative and do additional tasks if she wanted to, however, angers me. (Hartman, Desjardins 2008). You don’t have to be challenged just because you have more time. You can always find someone who is in need of a little extra assistance if you aren’t able to help. It doesn’t mean you can help someone only once. She might need to get out of her comfort zone and find a challenging job. It will be better than getting paid to post on social networks.Private lives in public arenaThis is in line with my earlier statement about no separation of work and personal life. A company shouldn’t treat employees differently just because you have a different lifestyle than others. There are certain things that should be kept out of business. I choose not to discuss certain things with people I work with because they aren’t able to relate to my work. They might notice that I smelled of alcohol when I come in to work. I would like them to send it home. It is a personal matter that I brought into the workplace and that could cause hurt to someone else. Technology isn’t perfect. There’s no way to know for sure that someone won’t see something we don’t want. It is important to choose carefully what you post on social networks. Many people have a tendency to just post whatever they like, without thinking about who might see it.
Is Surveillance always necessary? But, surveillance in a work setting is sometimes necessary. I believe it shouldn’t be used to stock employees. Employees should be made aware that they will be monitored while they work. Murray didn’t inform them that Murray was watching them. However, he should have informed them after they had happened so that they could understand the reason for the changes. The changes made by Murray were positive and should be implemented. It is important to tell employees that random camera inspections will take place. This will make employees work harder.
The three cases show that technology can have many negative effects on the workplace. Distraction is evident in the first example. Miranda might have performed better in the office if she wasn’t distracted by technology. The second case shows the downside of social media being accessible to everyone. Johnathan could not have known that the site would use his photograph. The third case shows the danger of watching too closely. Murray shouldn’t have been monitoring his employees unless they were aware that they could be monitored. However, this is only one of many workplace disadvantages caused by technology. Others include lost interpersonal communication skills, higher security and maintenance costs. “Cell phones, email and texting replace face-to-face communication.” This is why maintenance costs are so high. “Technology changes constantly, and requires costly upgrades. Each upgrade involves training employees, which can take time away form production. Customers and company information must be protected from hackers. (Harper, 2016)
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