Working With ICT

Working With ICT

1. Teleworking

   • Working from home using computer networks to send and receive documents
     • Advantages to employees
       • Reduces traffic congestion and CO2 emisions so is therefore greener
       • Flexibility of working hours
       • Ideal for the disabled
     • Disadvantages to employees
       • Home costs increased including heating and lighting
       • May feel isolated as no contact with colleagues
       • Boundary between home and work is lost
     • Advantage to employers
       • Can retain skilled workers as they can still work while on maternity leave
       • Smaller offices needed as less desks
       • Lower office overheads as less spent on heating and lighting
     • Disadvantage to employers
       • Security risk as ICT equipment is spread over so many sites
       • Harder to determine how hard staff are working
       • Health and safety check need to be made on employee homes

2. Video Conferencing

   • Companies can set up meetings for face to face communication with people across the world
     • Benefits to employees
       • Less stress as no airport delays or roadworks
       • Improved family life as less time spent away from home in hotels
       • No long working hours travelling to and from meetings
     • Benefits to the company
       • Cheaper as do not have to pay out travel expenses
       • Meetings can be called at short notice with little planning
       • Improved productivity as time is not wasted travelling
       • Shorter meetings which were not feasable before now are
     • Uses of Video Conferencing
       • Some schools use video conferencing to teach small A level classes in different schools with one specialised teacher
       • Conducting meetings at a distance
       • Doctors can hold meetings about patient transfers with the other hospital
     • Disadvantages to both
       • The cost of specialised videoconferencing equipment as high to buy, install and maintain
       • Documents can be passed digitally but you cannot feel the material or quality
       • Poor image and sound quality due to slow connections

3. Code of Conduct

   • An employee code of conduct consists of a set of rules drawn up by senior management setting out what the employee can and cannot do over the course of their employment. It also details the sanctions which will be applied if the employee breaks the rules
     • Responsibilities
       • Employee must abide by the rules of the company and act responsibly for the security and well being of the company
     • Respecting the rights of others
       • Be aware of other worker's rights, no bullying or spreading rumours
     • Abiding by current legislation
       • Such as data protection, computer misuse must be followed or could risk criminal prosecution
     • Authorisation
       • Only using the parts of the system you are allowed to use
     • Security
       • Do not disclose passwords or break data transfer rules
     • Protecting hardware and software from malicious damage
       • Making sure that equipment is not damaged on purpose
     • Complying with licence agreements
       • Not using company software on own computer without a licence

4. Misuse of ICT facilities

   • Introduction of viruses
     • By putting foreign software onto the computers
   • Using printers or hardware for own personal use
   • Distributing material which is racially or sexually offensive such as sending offensive jokes by email
   • Misuse of data for illicit purposes such as sending emails to bully someone from work
   • Blackmail, computer fraud or selling to other organisations
   • Violating terms of copyright or software agreements such as downloading illegal software onto the computers

5. Penalties for misuse

   • Informal Verbal warning
     • Given verbally for minor errors
   • Written Warning
     • More serious breach such as multiple infringements. An official letter to be kept on record
   • Dismissal
     • Very serious infringement, last resort for the company
   • Prosecution
     • Very serious infringement of the law which would lead to prosecution
   • Providing training
     • In some cases, staff may not have recieved the correct training which it is the company's responsibility to provide

6. Moral and legal issues around Code of Conduct

   • Disinformation
     • Legal
       • An estate agent posting false information in adverts
     • Moral
       • An estate agent not informing customers of subsidence issues
     • Trying to mislead by giving false or incomplete information
   • Privacy
     • Legal
       • Must follow data protection act
     • Moral
       • A company selling their customers' details to another company so that they can send them spam
     • ICT systems have allowed many organisations to hold data on the public
   • Employment Patterns
     • Legal
       • Issues such as eyestrain and backstrain have become larger and companies must follow Health and Safety at work act
     • Moral
       • Able to check on employee emails
     • Some people's jobs have been lost due to the implimentation of ICT systems
   • Equity
     • Rich companies can afford to develop new technology thus widening the gap between rich and poor
   • Intellectual property rights
     • Ownership of Data
     • Legal
       • Copyright, design and patents act
     • Moral
       • Crediting the creator of the art if you use it