There are rules and regulations that keep employee records, such as social security numbers, work evaluations, and other pertinent information secure. All of these rules and regulations tend to benefit the employee or individual, but what about the company?

This week we are covering materials in Chapter 9, pages 326–360, regarding the workplace environment. Privacy is an important part of our daily lives. For example, as a student, you should be aware of the Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which is a federal law protecting school records. Another well-known federal privacy act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), protects your health information. It is obvious that a large number of individuals take for granted that their personal information will be safe and secure when doing business with small or large companies. However, over the past five years, security breaches have become a common occurrence.

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There are rules and regulations that keep employee records, such as social security numbers, work evaluations, and other pertinent information secure. All of these rules and regulations tend to benefit the employee or individual, but what about the company?

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Let’s think for a moment about that. Should a company, regardless of size, be able to impose on its employees or customers policies regarding company privacy? Should a company have the right to regulate its employees’ activities on their off-the-clock time? Can an employee be held accountable for misrepresenting their employer on their personal social media accounts?

Your discussion post for this week is to provide your own opinion on the following questions. undefined

• In today’s technologically advanced society, is there really privacy? Based on your own personal experiences with social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, or Snapchat), do you feel that individuals should be held accountable for their actions outside of the workplace?
• Is it possible that, due to the technological advances in smartphones, tablets, and other communication devices, workplace and personal privacy have meshed together to a point that what was once personal space is now fair game in the hiring and firing practices?

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Discussion for week 9

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Insider trading is explained in Chapter 10, pages 368-373, as buying or selling stocks of businesses using information that comes from an inside person and is not known to the public. The buyer or seller may have information that would dramatically impact the price of stocks.

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Please read the article https://www.golfdigest.com/story/phils-insider-trading-escape

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For discussion this week, please share your opinion related to golfer Phil Mickelson’s apparent involvement in Dean Foods insider trading. In your opinion, please explain if you feel Mickelson is guilty or not of insider trading. Please try to include some material from your textbook reading to help support your opinion. Do not include websites or other materials from sources other than your textbook.

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Discussion for week 10

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Job discrimination (Chapter 11, pages 401-433), is the topic for this week. We will explore areas such as disparity, affirmative action policies, bias wage systems, hostile work environments, sexual harassment, and many other job discrimination topics.

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For this week’s discussion, I want you to think about the concept of comparable work for comparable pay. Most companies provide a job description that details the work involved for the positions, the expected experience and education needed to properly do the work, as well as the physical abilities needed to hold the positions. The applicant is well aware of the requirements needed and makes the decision to submit an application, cover letter, and resume.

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Now here is where I would like your opinion on the hiring process and the determination of the wages to possibly avoid wage discrimination based on gender.

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Respond to the following:

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• Post a discussion based on the following question. You might be familiar with how the television show The Voice works. The judges do not see the singer until they hear the singer and make the choice to accept the person onto their team. Do you think if all of the names were removed from all the application documents prior to presentation for candidate selection, and a set wage assigned before a face-to-face interview is held, that it would help to reduce the gender disparity in wages, as the potential for gender identity is not disclosed prior to interview selection? Explain your answer.

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Discussion for week 11

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Companies are expected to act ethically and to ensure their employees act ethically as well. However, we know the level of ethics expected is not always the same as the level of ethics in practice. Take a moment to share your thoughts on the following questions about ethics, in light of what you have learned in this course.

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• • If you were the CEO of a company, how would you ensure employees operate at a high ethical standard?