Regulating Off-Duty Conduct - Essay Example

Off-Duty Conduct al Affiliation) Off-Duty Conduct Some employers consider monitoring employees’ off-duty conduct as a necessity, yet for most of the employees, it is considered as an issue that is very controversial. Off-duty monitoring of employees is the act of watching the actions of employees past the working hours. The concern of the employers is the proper behavior of the employee and the compliance of the Code of Conduct of the organization. However, some employees are of the view that off-duty monitoring invades their right to privacy.

There are different levels where the employer should be concerned with the off-duty conduct of the employee and these levels are treated differently. In the main, an owner is not authorized to make an inquiry about the private life of an employee. For instance, employers should not concern themselves with the relationship between the employees and their spouses or families. This is considered private life. However, in some levels, the employer can monitor the off-duty conduct of the employee.

For example, if the employee has another job in another organization and this job interferes with the production of the company, the owner has a right to monitor the employee (Carroll, 2011). Ethics refers to the basic principles of correct actions. The off-duty behavior of a member of staff can be an indication of the company’s moral principles. The ethical perspective of the employer is to ensure that employees behave in the correct manner and that they comply with the Code of Conduct of the organization at all times.

This will protect the reputation and integrity of the organization. Therefore, employers will argue that in monitoring their employees’ off-duty conduct, they are trying to make sure that the company’s Code of Conduct is adhered to, and the good reputation of the organization is maintained (Carroll, 2011). The ethical perspective of employees is that it is unethical for employers to be concerned with their conduct outside work. The workers are of the outlook that they have a civil liberty to confidentiality despite the fact that the company’s Code of Ethics binds them.

Therefore, employers should not be concerned with their off-duty activities so long as the activities do not affect the organization and are not in contravention of the organization’s Code of Conduct (Carroll, 2011). If my boss asked about my off-duty activity, I will explain to him or her that my off-duty activity is not his/her concern so long as it did not have an effect on the normal running of the organization. If the off-duty activity affected the organization, I will apologize to the boss and give an explanation of the same while promising not to repeat such an activity again.

ReferenceCarroll, A. (2011). Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management. Stamford: Cengage Learning.