Is Anyone Listening?

The Berman Company enjoys a reputation as a good place to work. The company strives to provide quality services for clients.

Situation 1: Evan likes to be the first to know what’s going on in the office. One of the reasons he is so well informed is that he looks through the papers on the other employees’ desks.

Situation 2: To improve customer service quality, employees’ telephone calls are monitored. Monitoring is random and employees do not know when a quality manager is listening to a call. Customer service representative, Michelle, made a personal phone call while Audrey was monitoring the line. During the call, Michelle made plans for her weekend activities.

Situation 3: Eric used his office computer to prepare his resume and some cover letters. Eric worked on these documents after hours and provided his own paper for printing. He later learned that his supervisor knew about his job search. The supervisor, Bert, found the computer files while looking for a report that Eric had prepared.

Use the three-step checklist to determine whether or not the actions above demonstrated ethical behavior.

Is this action illegal? Explain your reasoning.

Does the action violate company or professional standards?

Who is affected, and how, by the action? (Positive & Negative Affects)