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How to Keep Internet Trolls Out of Remote Workplaces When companies…
How to Keep Internet Trolls Out of Remote Workplaces
When companies move all employee communications online, they face the same problems as the rest of the internet. But
they don’t have to let bad behavior seep in.
By Nellie Bowles
Published Jan. 24, 2021; Updated Jan. 25, 2021
Gustavo Razzetti, who gets hired by companies to improve their work cultures, has noticed a change since the pandemic
began last year: more political brawls, more managers losing control of their employees, a curious mix of hyperengagement
and lack of empathy.
“Employees are turning their cameras off, hiding behind avatars, becoming disrespectful,” said Mr. Razzetti, whose
consultancy is called Fearless Culture. “They’re being aggressive among each other.”
Office conversation at some companies is starting to look as unruly as conversation on the internet. That’s because office
conversation now is internet conversation. Many companies have been working online for nearly a year, with plans to
continue well into 2021. And just as people are bolder behind keyboards on Twitter, they are bolder behind keyboards on
workplace messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack with all the good and all the bad, but with a lot more legal
liability.
Work culture experts say there are steps companies can take before the lawyers get involved. These are among them:
closely monitoring large chat groups, listening to complaints, reminding employees they are on the job and not bantering
with friends, and being aware that a move to a virtual work force can expose new issues like age discrimination.
At a lot of American companies, this is the first time colleagues have had to come to terms with working and socializing
almost entirely online. There is likely no going back: Nearly half of the U.S. labor force is working from home full time,
according to the Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom. And 67 percent of companies expect working from home to
be permanent or long lasting, according to a study by S&P Global, which provides financial analysis.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone patted themselves on their back, like: ‘Oh, look, productivity has not fallen.
We’ve transitioned to digital. We’ve done things we were seeking to do streamline processes, move things online,
decentralize decision making.’ But they were forgetting about culture,” said Jennifer Howard-Grenville, a professor in
organization studies at the University of Cambridge. “Now the reality of that has hit.”
When message boards, chat rooms and Facebook become work tools, off-color humor is more common. Aggressive
political discussions that would be out of place among cubicles now seem fine. The hierarchy of physical space disappears
when everyone is a username: Confronting senior management does not require a walk and a knock on the door, and
confronting colleagues does not require sitting next to them the rest of the day.
“I’ve seen bullying by text in the various kinds of internal instant messenger platforms, and we’ve seen an uptick in those
kinds of complaints coming our way,” said John Marshall, an employment and civil rights lawyer in Columbus, Ohio.
Harassment from colleagues in internal messaging platforms is not new, he added, but now there is more of it.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/business/remote-work-culture-online.html
Answer ALL the questions in this section.
Question 1 (25 Marks)
Although information technology is a relatively new phenomenon, the ethical issues that can arise have its origins hundreds
of years ago. Examine the four schools of thought that can be used to analyse ethical issues.
Question 2 (25 Marks)
There are two main types of computer monitoring that takes place in companies. The first type of software that allows the
employer to see what is on the computer screen in an employee’s office or that allows the employer to view information
stored on the hard drives. This makes it easy for employers to monitor Internet use and electronic mail use. A second kind
allows the employer to determine how long a computer has been idle, suggesting that the employee is not actually doing his
or her job. This has become increasingly relevant in the current times where most employees are working from home, as
discussed in the above article.
Critically discuss the considerations which come into play to determine the ethical right of employers to monitor employees
use of computers.
Question 3 (25 Marks)
Assume the employer in the case study decides to listen in on employees group chats to ensure there is no cyberbullying
taking place. Analyse the ethical merit of this action, in context of Aristotle’s Virtue Theory.
Question 4 (25 Marks)
According to the case study, research shows that managers are losing control of employees who work from home.
Construct an argument where you explore how this could impact company performance. In your argument, examine the
concept of corporate governance.
