Employ Law

Reading

CHAPTER 4 Privacy, Theft, and Whistle-Blowing

CHAPTER 5 Termination

Assignment

Please answer the following questions in an MS Word document using APA style formatting. For those which you need research to answer, please provide the citations.

1. What do you think are some of the factors in the modern workplace that contribute to a theft of time? How can those factors be managed?

I think there are three main factors in the modern workplace that contribute to a theft of time that include the internet, cell phones, and cigarettes.

The internet is a huge system of distractions. There are endless possibilities to steer the employee away from their work; particularly the ones that have a desk job that work with network enabled computers all day. This factor could be managed by the employer placing firewalls and blockage of all sites not pertaining to their job tasks. I think those would be (but not limited to) social media sites such as Facebook, shopping sites such as eBay, personal e-mail sites such as Hotmail, and of course all pornographic sites. Employers could also ensure employees know that they are not allowed to use such sites by putting a policy in place and/or monitor their usage.

Cell phones are another problematic concern when time is concerned. Cell phones are like mini computers now, and all those sites previously blocked on their work computer could be accessed off their cell phone. Employees could also be making personal calls and texts throughout the entire day. This factor could be managed by employers placing a no cell phone usage policy while at work. As to not violate any personal issues, I would suggest the employer to add into the policy that all incoming emergency phone calls can be made to their work number.

Cigarettes are probably the most overlooked theft of time opportunity; my assumption is because of the amount of time cigarettes have been around and their previous legally standing of being able to smoke them in the workplace....