A Matter of Ethics Online Action

Chapter 10: Interpersonal Skills

Mixing Work and Personal Life
If you were to take a strict interpretation of traditional ethics, it is unethical to make personal phone calls while you are at work or to use the company's Internet access to do online shopping or chatting, since you are not only using company-owned resources for personal purposes, you are also not getting your work done.

But as workplace roles continue to evolve, the notion of what is acceptable and what is not continues to evolve. Many managers today understand that the occasional personal call and the occasional bit of personal Web-surfing is simply a fact of life, and a cost of doing business.

Activity
Prepare a short presentation to explain your opinions on these issues. Express why you feel that doing such activity while at work is ethical or not.