December 26, 11:03 am
Personal ethics in the workplace - WORK!
I’m all for getting our heads out of the cube, out of the book, out of wherever, and getting refreshed with a different pace this time of year. But I have to draw the line at doing your own thing while on the company clock. Personal ethics in the workplace says when your employer is paying you, your activities should further the goals of your employer.
If you agree with that, do you agree that writing a book on company time is a way to sharpen your thinking and typing skills? Interestingly, this is what 35-year old Tanja Shelton claimed to be doing when she was discovered writing a romance novel “during slow periods at work.”
And now for the rationalization . . .
According to a UPI story this past Monday, Shelton testified at her unemployment hearing “I was writing, but it wasn’t necessarily a book. I was just typing my thoughts down, trying to keep my brain moving. I wanted to improve my typing skills.”
I think personal ethics should include being upfront and truthful. Apparently the Administrative Law Judge reviewing the case didn’t think Shelton was operating on that wavelength. She took one look at Shelton’s personal emails and pages from her book and denied Shelton’s request for jobless benefits.
In other words, not only should ethics mean producing company work when getting paid with company dollars, but it also means being honest about your actions when you have to describe them. Paper-thin, lame excuses only tarnish one’s reputation more.
Filed in Work, Motivation, Workplace, Corporate Culture
It sounds like this lady was bored. If you don’t have anything to do at work then the manager or management failed. Sure writing a book on company time is wrong but if there was no work to do then isn’t Tanja being set up to fail?
Hannah,
Interesting perspective. True, not knowing all the details about her work environment means we’re venturing into conjecture. But as an employer, I don’t track what each employee is doing each minute of the day …. not unless I want to be a micro-manager.
I make it clear to my employees that if they finish a project and nothing else on their plate can be accomplished, they should come let me know. More often than not I can have the person help out with another project.
If Tanja’s manager did not make it clear that she should come see him/her, then you may be correct. Although, in my opinion, a good employee will take initiative to be helpful, not just wait to be told what to do.