Read: “The New Ways Your Boss is Spying on You” by Sarah Krouse, “Can You Really Take That Sick Day? Readers React to Office Sick-Shaming” by Chip Cutter, “‘I Lost It’: The Boss Who Banned Phones, and What Came Next” by John Simons, and “The Gun Issue Comes to the Office” by Rachel Feintzeig.

In a Word document, respond to each of the four articles, proposing at least three (3) possible solutions to each ethical dilemma mentioned in the texts.

Browse the Internet or draw from your personal experiences and then choose an ethical dilemma in a workplace you would like to address. In the same Word Document, describe the ethical dilemma you chose, the two sides of that dilemma, and the reason(s) you chose this specific dilemma (aim for some personal connections).

Two thousand six hundred seventeen times a day. That is how often the average person taps,
pokes, pinches or swipes their personal phone.

It all adds up to about 2 hours and 25 minutes, according to a study by mobile app research firm
Dscout Inc. And a good chunk of that time comes during work hours.

Jason Brown had had enough of it. Two years ago, the chief executive of Brown, Parker &
DeMarinis Advertising paused for a moment to look across the meeting room as he delivered a
presentation. The majority of those gathered were fiddling with their phones.

“I lost it,” says Mr. Brown.

In his anger, he issued a companywide edict: “Don’t show up at a meeting with me with your
phone. If someone shows up with their phone, it’ll be their last meeting.”

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MANAGEMENT & CAREERS

‘I Lost It’: The Boss Who Banned Phones,
and What Came Next
Employers limit cellphone use to regain attentiveness. Workers use watches and laptops instead.

ILLUSTRATION: OTTO STEININGER

May 16, 2018 7�30 am ET

By John Simons

https://www.wsj.com/news/types/management-careers?mod=breadcrumb

Many managers are conflicted about how—or even whether—to limit smartphone use in the
workplace. Smartphones enable people to get work done remotely, stay on top of rapid business
developments and keep up with clients and colleagues. But the devices are also the leading
productivity killers in the workplace, according to a 2016 survey of more than 2,000 executives
and human-resource managers conducted by CareerBuilder, an HR software and services
company.

There is also some evidence that productivity suffers in the mere presence of smartphones.
When workers in a recent study by the University of Texas and University of California had
their personal phones placed on their desks—untouched—their cognitive performance was
lower than when their devices were in another location, such as in a handbag or the pocket of a
coat hanging near their workspace.

“I firmly believe that multitasking is a myth,” says Bill Hoopes, an IT project manager at L3
Technologies Inc.

Mr. Hoopes put his convictions into practice at group gatherings when he took over a team of
about 25 people at the aerospace defense company three years ago. “Every time someone’s
phone went off, they had to stand for the rest of the meeting,” he says. Before long, he asked the
group to leave their phones at their desks when two or more people got together.

Over time, he says, he has noticed not only an improvement in the quality of conversation and
ideas in meetings, but also that his people seem to show more respect and appreciation for one
another’s work.

Mat Ishbia, CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, banned technology from meetings about two
years ago and recently asked that his executive team and other managers not check their
phones as they walk to and from meetings.

“Don’t act like we’re too important to say hello,” he says he told them. “Make eye contact with
people.”

Mr. Ishbia is now piloting another solution to phone addiction. A group of about 250 workers
are part of an experiment in which they refrain from all personal phone use at their desks. If
they want to use their devices they must go to a common area designated for phone use and
socializing. Forty-five days into the trial run, workers are checking their phones a lot less, he
said.

Bryan Lee, a product manager at enterprise software company Docker Inc., suspected that his
daily phone use was a problem, so last month he installed an app called Moment on his iPhone

https://quotes.wsj.com/LLL

that tracks the total amount of daily time he spent on his phone. His first measurement revealed
four hours in a day. Since early April, he’s reduced that to roughly an hour.

At work, Mr. Lee persuaded his team of eight to download the app and post their daily phone
hours on a whiteboard. The team member with the lowest time gets bragging rights.

“We’re thinking of having a trophy we can pass around—or maybe just shaming the loser,” he
says.

Handheld devices can be a valuable source of information during office gatherings.  Shane
Wooten, CEO of enterprise video platform company Vidplat LLC, recently surprised a group of
corporate clients with a request that they leave their electronic devices outside. “They didn’t
like it,” he says.

Since January, Mr. Wooten has limited personal devices at meetings with his employees and
faced some resistance. Workers argue their phones are vital for staying in touch with a sick
child or researching information relevant to the meeting.

“I told them we’re not in middle school,” he says. “I’m not collecting phones in a bucket. Just
don’t have it out faceup on the table.”

Google Inc. announced last week that the next version of its operating system for Android
phones will include a feature that is meant to help people who feel tethered to their devices. It
will let users see how much time they spend on their phones, show which apps they use the
most and display how often the phone gets unlocked.

Software may be the key, because not all workplace solutions work. The no-phones-at-meetings
rule at Mr. Brown’s ad agency lasted about two months, because it wasn’t all that effective.

Instead of phones, staffers wore smartwatches to meetings or brought their laptops, which
were just as distracting, he says, adding that workers said they were worried about missing
calls and emails from clients.

Now, he tells his 40 employees not to attend meetings unless they really have to be there and
strongly advises they fully engage.

Mr. Brown missed his phone too and likened the experience to outlawing alcohol during the
Prohibition era: “A theoretical state that almost no one wants to live in, including those making
the rules,” he says.

Write to John Simons at John.Simons@wsj.com

Appeared in the May 17, 2018, print edition as ‘Eye on the Ball, Not on the Phone.’

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You have sick days. Can you use them?

The Wall Street Journal’s story on sick-shaming—in which healthy colleagues scold their sick
peers for showing up to work—inspired hundreds of reader emails, comments and posts on
social media.

Plenty of readers divulged their own strategies for giving under-the-weather colleagues the
hint to go home, including one worker whose colleague left a hand-drawn sign on a boss’s office
door that read: “HEY PHLEGM-BOY! GO HOME!”

Many reactions, though, zeroed in on a larger point: Even in workplaces that offer an
abundance of paid sick leave, the spread of the always-on work culture makes it difficult for
many to take time off. Sometimes it’s the boss who pressures staff to show up no matter what.

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MANAGEMENT & CAREERS

Can You Really Take That Sick Day? Readers
React to Office Sick-Shaming
Many argue the presence of hacking, sneezing and sniffling colleagues at work highlights a bigger issue:
It’s often not easy to stay home

ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

Jan. 30, 2019 11�00 am ET

By Chip Cutter

https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-sneezed-go-home-11548346062?mod=article_inline

https://www.wsj.com/news/types/management-careers?mod=breadcrumb

Others said they inflict the pressure themselves, convinced that only a crippling stomach bug or
ambulance ride to the emergency room warrants a true sick day.

“Someone has to be on their deathbed” before they realize they can’t come to work, said
Stephen Schofield, a 28-year-old digital associate at a Chicago public-relations firm, of the
mind-set of some of his colleagues.

Cecilia Chang, a managed-care contract specialist near Philadelphia, said that in some previous
jobs, she felt she couldn’t step away from work while sick, despite company policies allowing
sick time. Some bosses still expected her to respond to emails while home or to complete
projects on pre-established timelines. Those who disconnected entirely were seen as inferior,
unable to cope with the pressure of the job, or “less than,” she said.

“For people to call out sick, they’ve got to feel safe and supported,” she said.

Nationally, 71% percent of private-sector workers have some paid sick leave, Labor Department
figures show. Yet, in a recent survey of more than 2,000 adults by Pittsburgh-based market-
research firm CivicScience, 54% reported coming to work even while sick. Many workers who
responded to the Journal’s story said their ability to take leave depended almost entirely on
their relationship with a manager.

Tammy Cooley, a human-resources consultant in Boise, Idaho, said she has worked for bosses
who expected her to answer the phone every time they called, regardless of whether she felt
lousy. She also has experienced bosses who proactively asked: What help do you need so you
can take the day off?

“It starts at the top,” Ms. Cooley said. Managers
who call into conference calls while sick or email
repeatedly on vacation build a culture of “if I’m
not seen, I’m forgotten.”

That puts the onus on colleagues to keep sick
colleagues at bay—one reason some act as sick-
shamers. Clyde Romero, who retired in 2015 as a
captain at American Airlines Group Inc., flying
the A330 on long-haul international routes, said
he had a no-tolerance policy for sick co-pilots in
his cockpit, fearing they could infect others or not
properly perform their in-flight duties.

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When crew members showed up ill before a trip, he would tell them, “No, you’re not coming
with me,” he recalled. There was no shaming, but a question: “What the hell are you doing
here?”

“In the airline industry, when lives are at stake, and you have to be at your best performance,
there’s none of this” political correctness, he said. “If you make a mistake, you’re going to be in
trouble.”

Some companies do go to lengths to remind workers to steer clear of the office while
contagious. In November, Rosana Cerna, vice president of people and business operations at
Great Place to Work, a people analytics and research firm, emailed the company’s roughly 80
U.S. employees with the subject line, “Winter Colds… Not for the Office.” She told sick
colleagues to avoid the temptation of coming into work while ill: “If you ever come into the
office coughing, sneezing or feeling like you want to crawl into bed….Go home!” In case her
words didn’t drive home the message, she also included an emoji with a thermometer in its
mouth.

Ms. Cerna said many employees later thanked her for sending the reminder.

The existence of workplace shaming, though, suggest many managers aren’t doing enough,
readers said. “What’s happening now is you’re seeing this from the bottom-up because it’s not
happening at the top,” said Karyn Detje, a founder of FABRIC, a people and human-resources
consulting practice based in Washington, Conn.

Ms. Detje advises managers to think of their sick staff members like family members. If the
boss’s son or daughter became sick, that manager would likely recommend the child stay home
from work, she reasoned. “That’s exactly how you should be treating your employees,” Ms.
Detje said.

Write to Chip Cutter at chip.cutter@wsj.com

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Frequent mass shootings are leading many employers to revisit their policies involving guns.

Most offices ban firearms, but the debate about whether to arm teachers, as pushed by
President Donald Trump, is now spilling over into the workplace.

Josh Blake, a county commissioner in Lake County, Fla., about 225 miles northwest of Parkland,
Fla. where 17 people were gunned down Feb. 14, spent his first board meeting after the shooting
proposing changes to the county’s employee handbook.

Mr. Blake decided employers needed to take the lead in protecting workers by allowing more
guns. By unanimous vote, county commissioners repealed rules that barred brass knuckles and
ammunition and added language to allow people with concealed-carry permits to bring their
guns to work. The move covers 776 county employees, from librarians to laborers who fill
potholes.

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MANAGEMENT & CAREERS

The Gun Issue Comes to the Office
Some employers say their workers should be allowed to carry, but most stick with no-tolerance policies

Students attending Stuyvesant High School in New York City were among those across the U.S. who walked out March 14 to
advocate for stricter gun laws. PHOTO: DAVE COLE�THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated March 21, 2018 9�47 am ET

By Rachel Feintzeig

https://www.wsj.com/news/types/management-careers?mod=breadcrumb

“I don’t want my life, my family’s lives or my employees’ lives dependent on someone else’s
response time,” said Mr. Blake, who noted that tips to the Federal Bureau of Investigation

about the Parkland suspect had fallen through the cracks.

Some business leaders who want to ban guns entirely on their sites are constrained by so-called
parking-lot laws. The laws, in more than 20 states, stop companies from declaring their parking
lots and garages as gun-free zones, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a
gun- control advocacy group based in San Francisco.

In Ohio, where such a law went into effect last year, many employers worry about the safety
implications, including at plants where there are dangerous chemicals, said Don Boyd, the
director of labor and legal affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Other firms see the new
requirements as an infringement on their property rights.

“There’s an enormous amount of anxiety,” Larry Barton, a workplace violence consultant who
helps Fortune 500 companies create gun policies, said of the current mood in American
corporations.

In the days after the Parkland shooting, Mr. Barton said he fielded 40 phone calls from
employers in retail and financial services asking for help talking to employees. Workers wanted
to know if their colleagues were armed and if guards could carry guns.

Mr. Barton said he believes workers are safer when organizations have a clear policy banning
firearms. Many firms are reminding workers of their zero-tolerance policies. Others are adding
new screening measures, said Jonathan Wackrow, a managing director with advisory firm
Teneo.

Jasmine Brown, a manager at a regional chain restaurant in Seattle, Wash., spotted a pistol
holstered on the hip of one of her workers earlier this month. She felt uncomfortable and
reminded him he wasn’t supposed to bring the firearm to work.

He took the gun home on a break, but when Ms. Brown’s boss got wind of the incident, he
threatened to fire the employee.

Ms. Brown hopes it doesn’t come to that. “I didn’t feel threatened at all,” she said. Still, she
added, “I wasn’t okay with it.”

Mike Kahoe, the president of Group Management Services Inc., a human- resources outsourcing
company in Richfield, Ohio, prohibits his 300 employees from bringing guns inside. The
company’s office sports a “no weapons allowed” sticker on the front door. An employee was
fired last year after carrying a gun in a company vehicle.

But Mr. Kahoe has tweaked the company’s gun policy to allow an exception: People with
permission of the president can bring a weapon to work. So far, the only person afforded this
special dispensation is him.

Mr. Kahoe brings a handgun to the office when he anticipates situations with clients or
employees could get violent. For instance, when firing a burly sales rep who slammed a chair
down during the uncomfortable conversation, his gun was in a nearby drawer.

“It made me feel a little better,” he said.

Some company policies go ignored. Sharp Communication Inc., a security firm that sells radios
and body armor, bars employees from bringing guns into its three Alabama locations. Even so,
an employee brought his gun to work to sell to a colleague and it accidentally fired, injuring
both workers.

Sharp fired the two employees and now makes workers sign its no-weapons policy. Rex
Reynolds, Sharp’s president and a former law-enforcement officer, keeps his own handgun in a
lockbox in the middle console of his car.

If there was ever a threat of violence at the office, “I would certainly return to my car and
retrieve my weapon,” he said.

—John Simons contributed to this article.

Write to Rachel Feintzeig at rachel.feintzeig@wsj.com

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