Ethical Dilemma
With technological advances and the rising popularity of the flexible work environment labeled Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), the ability to work anywhere and everywhere poses the issue that sensitive company data could be compromised in a telecommuter environment. With an employee’s remote access to company documents, email, systems and proprietary information, there is an elevated risk of equipment theft and security breach.
Stakeholders & Their Decision-Making Processes * Executive Management – executive team would need to determine if there would be an ROI justification for supporting a flexible work environment. Executive management must evaluate whether ROWE would align with current corporate strategic goals and objectives. * Human Resources – HR is instrumental in developing ROWE policies and processes, evaluating positions that would qualify for the benefit, facilitating ROWE transition (with supervisors and managers), determine performance standards for ROWE employees and administer employee discipline for violators of ROWE guidelines. * Information Technology – IT is especially key in the transition into ROWE. They will need verify remote capabilities are working properly and additionally, guarantee all security software, operational systems and wireless access is updated and glitch-free. * Finance (Internal Audit Manager) – finance will need to ensure proper audits are complete and reports are processed accurately.
Potential Solutions & Their Ramifications * Evaluate the necessity of a job position for the need to adapt to a flexible work environment. Does the position justify the need to work remotely? In cases of threat of hacking, finance or legal positions would be especially sensitive to data security. * Develop and implement a structured flexible work environment security policy. A concise, structured policy for telecommuting