You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

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Showing posts with label Professional Ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Professional Ethics. Show all posts

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Are our work messages as private as we think?

 

We all need to vent about tasks or colleagues sometimes. But if we gripe on work devices, can our bosses read our messages? I asked myself this question many years ago when I was still working in Germany. Now, as a retiree, I might be my own boss but I am still communicating with people around the world. Those employees all still have a supervisor, chef or boss.

Ask yourself: have you ever had a bad day at work, complained to colleagues about it over an internal messaging app and then worried that your boss might be able to read all of your complaints? Turns out, you have every right to be concerned; communications on a work device are rarely as private as they may seem. British writer Mark Johanson helped me and you, my dear readers,  a lot with some interesting answers and links.

In July, Netflix fired three marketing executives for messages criticizing colleagues on what they thought was a private Slack channel. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained in a LinkedIn post that it was not a simple case of employees venting on Slack, but rather “critical personal comments made over several months about their peers”, including during meetings when those peers were presenting. “It's also worth noting that we don't proactively monitor Slack or email,” he continued. “The Slack channel was open, so anyone could access the conversations even though the employees concerned thought it was private.”  Wow, here we are!

I strongly agree with Mark Johanson in saying that workers are often seduced by the illusion of privacy when it comes to workplace communications, mistakenly believing that they can privately chat, send emails or even video conference on a company computer without their employer viewing that information afterwards. Yet, what appears private in the moment can often become public with the click of a button. The reality is that technology exists for employers to track virtually all workplace communications by all employees at all times, even if companies are rarely transparent about the level to which they do this.

So, where should companies draw the line – and what should workers bear in mind before they send that unguarded message?

 
“Employees should assume that whenever they’re using work owned and issued equipment, anything that they may do – including written communications or websites they may visit – is subject to review,” says Boston-based Heather Egan Sussman, head of law firm Orrick’s global Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation Group. Very well said and very true!

Of course, there are legitimate reasons why companies monitor internal communications. Sussman says that companies in sectors including financial services are heavily regulated and need to proactively monitor communications as part of their compliance programmes. Anyone who deals with sensitive materials (such as health records or government contracts) may also be proactively monitored, to protect the company’s business, reputation and resources.

Companies outside these sectors often take a more reactive approach, says Sussman, capturing communications through a records-retention programme (which archives data for a set period of time) and then looking back on that information only when it’s necessary to address an issue. This includes not only messages and emails, but often video calls on Skype, Zoom or Teams, too, which can be recorded and logged.

Brian Kropp, chief of research for global research and advisory firm Gartner’s HR practice, based in the Washington DC area, says the only time companies really go back and look through these communications is when there is reason to believe there’s been some sort of performance management problem, data theft, harassment or other complaint that warrants an internal investigation. General griping that doesn’t target an individual is rarely cause for concern. Similarly, everyday managers don’t typically have the ability to freely conduct keyword searches for things like their names.

I learned that when companies do suspect unprofessional behavior has taken place, there are minimal restrictions to prevent them scrutinizing employees' workplace communications. Even though US and European laws do protect communications on things like collective bargaining, Kropp says that, “anywhere in the world, there’s no legal requirement that says employers have to inform you about the data they are collecting about you”.

My advice: Keep that in mind - in a professional environment, it may be best to assume that you’re being monitored and behave accordingly. The best way to share frustrations is "face-to-face" or with private units not linked to your work. Since we are all social media fans, try to avoid communicating also here on a work-owned device. It  can open you up to monitoring.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Career Doubts?

A career is a rapid motion. A course of action. Professional conduct in life. Progress through life. What is a careerist? One, who rushes widely and makes his advancement his or her aim in life. In times of Covid-19, you may not think about your career. Sure. But somehow life goes on, and career doubts rise again.


When career doubts won't go away? What if you're not happy with your job? Is it possible that you're in the wrong entirely?

My parents always (!) wanted me to become a banker. So far so good. Why not? Maybe I would have been more (or very happy) in my job. Or not?

The pressure "to be" someone starts in life early indeed. Not only my parents, but also peers, and teachers have begun to exert influence. Yes, I even didn't know where my inclinations lie.

Being a doctor or a lawyer? Yes, I was interested in law and medicine during that time.

"The way that people pick careers is incredibly primitive," said Nicholas Lore, founder of the Rockport Institute, a career coaching firm, and author of "The Pathfinder". So, it's no wonder, he said, that so many people are dissatisfied with their jobs. Me too. Yes, count me in. Mass-communication has been my subject, as well as publishing house management. So far so good.

I always thought about a true calling for me. Sure, people whose careers aren't the right fit often feel like impostors, Professor Robert I. Sutton, an organizational psychologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, said. Very, very well said, Sir.

How about you, my dear reader? Are you also placing too high your value on the external rewards of the job, like money, prestige, and power? Sure, these things are indeed important. Hold on! The work you do and the skills your opportunity requires and the value of your work are more vital to fulfillment. Paperwork or not... Do you think you find a better career fit? Go ahead - but don't expect that this is your life's career!

I waited for my "better calling" experiencing many better and wonderful moments in life. I also experienced that what I did had been very much compatible with me, as what my parents thought.


Personal note: In times of soaring Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, there is only one thing: stay safe and healthy everyone.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Professional Ethics

Re-published Editorial in MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR with friendly permission of the Publisher Marietta Siongco - May 25, 2013

As early as 7 a.m. last Wednesday, several Davao City journalists trooped to the burning Department of Psychiatry of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), also referred as the Mental Hospital in Davao City, for coverage. It was certainly a newsworthy incident, not least because the facility is 95 years old and is the only public mental hospital in Mindanao. However, it also turned out to be a most unfortunate for two photo journalists and a television cameraman who were blatantly harassed by hospital personnel as they were performing their jobs.

The hospital men, including a nurse, doctor, clinical Lebbe, and a security guard heaped verbal and physical assault on the three journalists yelling at them, grabbing their cameras and holding their arms as they ordered them to forcibly delete all the photos and videos they took.

Aside from undermining the right of freedom of expression and editorial independence of the journalists, the hospital men deliberately deprived the journalists  of respect as persons of self-esteem and pride.

...

The basic value of respect was obviously not of importance for the ill-mannered hospital men as as well as Chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega quickly apologizing for his men's behavior. Journalism is regulated solely by the criteria of professional ethics, a basic journalism, a basic journalism principle that makes the journalists undeserving of such harassment. Those who elbow their way into the journalists' rights should be slapped with appropriate administrative and legal and sanctions.