8) Ethics in the Workplace Flashcards
(24 cards)
What are the two key questions in workplace ethics raised in the lecture?
1) What kind of person does this workplace require me to be?
2) Does it support or undermine my ethical self?
Why is ethics in the workplace difficult to talk about?
Because harm is often subtle, institutionalised, or framed as “just doing your job” or “meeting KPIs.”
What is ethical violence in the workplace?
Harm done through procedures or systems that cause emotional, psychological, or moral damage without direct intent.
What does it mean to instrumentalise the worker?
Treating employees as tools to achieve goals rather than full human beings with needs, emotions, and dignity.
What is the PDR case study and what does it show?
A performance review harmed an employee’s self-worth despite following policy — shows how formal processes can cause emotional harm.
What workplace conditions contribute to ethical harm?
Standardisation, rule-following, overwork, burnout, depersonalisation, and emotional suppression.
How is bureaucracy linked to workplace harm?
It removes personal judgment and care — people “follow the rules” even when it causes suffering.
How does Bauman critique modern work environments?
They suppress moral impulse by promoting obedience and distancing us from the people affected by our actions.
How does Levinas’ concept of “The Other” apply to workplace ethics?
We must respond ethically to those around us as unique individuals — not just as roles or functions.
What does Derrida mean by “undecidability” in the context of workplace decisions?
Ethical choices often have no clear solution; we must act knowing we will feel responsibility, loss, or regret.
What is the difference between compliance and responsibility in ethics?
Compliance = following rules. Responsibility = recognising and caring about how our actions affect others.
What is emotional labour?
Managing or performing certain emotions to meet job expectations — often leads to internal conflict or exhaustion.
How is emotional labour ethically problematic?
It suppresses authenticity and creates a divide between how we feel and how we’re expected to behave.
What is the difference between workplace automation and augmentation?
Automation = machines replace human labour; Augmentation = machines assist or enhance human work.
What are the ethical concerns with automation?
Job loss, deskilling, depersonalisation, reduced agency, and prioritising efficiency over humanity.
What are ethical risks of augmentation in the workplace?
Creates pressure to compete with machines, extends expectations (always-on work), and blurs human–tech boundaries.
How does AI contribute to ethical problems in work?
It enables surveillance, introduces bias in hiring, undermines consent, and may replace ethical judgment with algorithms.
Give an example of AI causing ethical harm in the workplace.
Automated productivity tracking causing stress or misjudging employees due to biased data.
What does “datafication of the employee” mean?
Reducing workers to metrics and performance data — erasing emotion, context, and individuality.
What does virtue ethics ask about workplace culture?
Does the workplace nurture honesty, courage, empathy, and responsibility — or suppress them?
What would Levinas ask about a workplace system?
Does it allow me to see and respond to the humanity of the Other?
According to Bauman, when does morality die in business?
When people stop thinking and simply follow systems or rules without questioning their impact.
According to Derrida, what is the ethical task in decision-making?
To decide, even when outcomes are uncertain, and to accept responsibility for the harm or consequences caused.
What kind of workplace supports ethics, according to the lecture?
One that embraces care, vulnerability, reflection, and the emotional lives of workers — not just performance.
