How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?
I think that cyber technology created plenty of opportunities for workplace deviance. With the integration of technological devices in multiple types of industries, fields, and workplaces, it’s even easier than ever for employees to get away with what they want by not being face-to-face with another human being. With working from home being more common due to the current pandemic, the opportunities for workplace deviance are much more accessible. One example of technological based deviance is an employee that deals with sensitive information, such as social security numbers, addresses, etc., and decides to copy that information and use it to steal their identities. Another example similar to this would be an employee taking secret information or procedures specific to the company they’re employed at, and giving it to a competing company for the employee’s personal gain. Time card fraud can happen without technology, but it’s much easier to falsify your time when you’re at your own computer. Unless there was outside evidence (such as camera footage of the employee going against what they’ve logged as their time) it is very hard to prove that that employee committed time card fraud. Using cyber technology for your own personal gain is unethical in most situations when it actively harms other people or an entity. The anonymity that comes with a lot of technology nowadays feeds into this problem as well, since people feel like they can get away with it if it’s behind a screen and not in person. Unfortunately, cyber technology will always be a breeding ground for employee deviance, and as it progresses in efficiency and convenience, I predict the problem will only get worse. Deviancy is a human trait, and I don’t think it is the fault of the technology used, but the minds behind it, using it for their own selfishness and gain.