Introduction
Organizations use social media to screen applicants during job recruitment. A national survey by Harris Poll indicated that more than 70% of employers use social media platforms to learn about applicants during recruitment (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022). Several companies use social media to recruit workers because people live in an increasingly connected digital world and have social media accounts (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). Organizations are taking advantage of looking into the personalities and characteristics of the would-be IT professionals. The usage of social media content to determine whether to hire an employee has raised various concerns. People say it is unethical, while others say it is ethical. The unethical aspect is based on privacy. Going through people’s social media content can be considered an invasion of privacy (Di Minin et al., 2021). It is unethical for organizations to monitor the social media contents of applicants and base their employment decisions on those findings. Because organizations can make unfair decisions and discriminate, and some applicants will have unfair advantages (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). Cases of hiring unqualified IT professionals are likely to happen.
Overview of Ethical Principles
Deontology Ethical Principle
Deontology principle actions are good or bad based on the set rules. This principle is associated with Immanuel Kant. Kant said that people can think and understand the universal morals that apply in all situations (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022). Unlike other ethical theories, deontology theory does not focus on the consequences of the person’s actions but on the duty and morality of people’s actions (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022).
Under this principle, people should adhere to their obligations when evaluating an ethical dilemma. This means that people will conform to their moral obligations to other individuals because upholding their duty is considered ethically correct (Gal et al., 2020). People who follow the theory make consistent decisions based on the set responsibilities of the individuals. There are various instances where the deontology principle can be applied (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022). When a person has hijacked a plane full of passages, one can volunteer to die to save the rest of the people. In this scenario, the person will have exceeded his duty to save the other passengers, and the person will have performed an act of supererogation. Supererogation is an act that is done by deontologists who exceed their duties and obligations (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022).
Virtue Ethical Principle
The virtue principle originated from the ancient Greece philosophy. The ethical code deals with the honesty and morality of an individual (Gal et al., 2020). In this principle, people are judged based on their characters instead of their actions from their normal behaviors. This principle focuses on the personality development of people required to overcome ethical dilemmas. The moral principle points out that people can be trained in virtues to develop excellent habits of mind (Gal et al., 2020). These habits will enable individuals to choose optimally in ethical dilemmas.
Despite the ethical principle’s positive aspects, critics surround it as discussed. For instance, the principle considers that an individual’s moral character can change (Gal et al., 2020). For example, an IT expert could have made a mistake in the past and could make it again, but his outstanding character can cover for the error (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). The mistake could not have been intentional in this scenario, but the act was done. The sudden IT professional change in an expert may take time to notice. However, when a significant amount of evidence mounts up, resource managers and other team members will observe the difference in character.
Teleology Ethical Principle
The teleology principle originated from the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. The principle gives priority to good over right. This principle analyzes the actions based on the goals and consequences they achieve at long last (Gal et al., 2020). Under this principle, the correct actions will optimize the implications, and the wrong actions are those that do not attribute to any good. An example of teleological is that most people believe that lying is wrong, but if telling a lie will not harm, it will make a person happy (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022). This is an ethical approach that is judged based on the consequences that it brings.
One of the main strengths of teleology is that it is individualistic. It enables people to investigate situations individually on a case-to-case basis (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). This theory primarily applies in the medical sector, where a doctor or family member decides to switch off the life support machine (Gal et al., 2020). The family member will consider the possibility of the patient’s survival and the medication costs, and the person will decide to benefit the family members. From an employment perspective, it is important to examine the contents of social media applicants in order to know more about them. The organizations will understand what the employee will bring to the company.
Counter position
To counter my position, it is ethical for organizations to evaluate the social media content of IT professionals before hiring them. This is ethical if the information is related to the job performance the IT professional is applying for. Organizations are evaluating the applicants’ social media content because we live in a world where many people have social media accounts (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). Companies are taking this advantage to evaluate the personalities of IT professionals and their characters. Some of the counterclaims why the organizations are considering the social media contents of IT professionals include the culture and reputations of organizations and transparency and fairness reasons. To justify the counter position, I will use the virtue ethical principle (Men et al., 2022).
Culture and Reputation
The organizational cultures of companies vary from one company to another. Companies can check social media content to see if IT professionals can adhere to the corporate culture. For instance, if the IT professional’s social media content is criticized for being invasive, the organization can consider not hiring the applicant (Men et al., 2022). This is because the offensive aspect of the applicant will not align with the virtues and culture of the company. Additionally, critics of the IT profession can destroy the organization’s reputation. In this case, the ethical principle of virtue will be undermined. The abusive aspect of the applicant is a virtue that is not desired, and the IT professional did not follow the moral rules of ethics like respect (Gal et al., 2020).
Fairness and Transparency Reasons
When a company is hiring new IT professionals, the aspect of fairness and transparency is supposed to be followed. Fairness and transparency are upheld when an organization evaluates all the applicants’ social media content and follows the criteria for hiring new workers (Hunkenschroer & Luetge, 2022). An organization can observe the social media profiles of IT professionals to evaluate what other people are saying about the applicant. For instance, social media platforms like Likendin allow people to recommend others. An organization can decide whether to hire an IT professional based on the testimonies given by people or organizations who have worked with them. Additionally, the company will be able to know what the applicant can offer if hired. When organizations are fair and transparent, the virtue ethical principle is adhered to because the IT professionals will be employed based on their qualities and capabilities (Gal et al., 2020).
Refutation of Counterclaims
Although organizations can evaluate the social media contents of the IT professionals during the hiring process to preserve their culture and reputation, it can be deemed unethical. This is because organizations can misinterpret the social media content of IT professionals. Additionally, IT professionals can post exaggerated content on social media to hide their negative behaviors (Ewing et al., 2019). Being unaware of this aspect, the organization can hire IT professionals who do not align with its culture, and they may ruin the reputation and brand of the company. In this aspect, the virtue ethic principle will be undermined because honesty virtue is undermined. The virtue principle emphasizes desirable moral elements, and dishonesty is one of them (Gal et al., 2020).
Although evaluating the IT professionals’ social media content can be considered fair and transparent, discrimination will likely occur. IT professionals can post social media contents that reveal their gender, race, religion, and ethnicity, and these aspects can be influential in the hiring process (Ewing et al., 2019). Virtue’s ethical principle is undermined when the hiring process is done through discrimination. The IT professionals will not be employed based on their capabilities but on discrimination. To uphold the moral principle, companies should hire IT professionals based on their abilities and qualifications (Ewing et al., 2019).
Position
Unfair Decisions and Discrimination
Deontology states that actions are right or wrong based on set rules. Under this principle, employers must respect applicants’ autonomy during recruitment. When organizations screen IT professionals’ social media content, the company might likely make unfair, biased decisions or even discriminate against the personnel (Ewing et al., 2019). An applicant can have a good profile on social media platforms; if the individual has a work experience of more than ten years, he enjoys engaging in sports while all are social media biased. However, an IT professional may not be considered because of a particular religion, race, or ethnicity. In this case, the aspect of the business is evident, and the ethical principle of deontology is undermined. The principle is undermined because the organization discriminates against people based on religion, ethnicity, or race (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022).
Unfair Advantage and Hiring of Unqualified IT Professionals
Some people are active on social media platforms, while others are less active. For the less active individuals, there needs to be more information about them on social media. When organizations hire IT professionals based on social media content about the applicants, workers will be recruited unfairly (Ewing et al., 2019). This means that active individuals on social media will have the upper hand compared to less effective individuals. Applicants active on social media can post false and exaggerated details about their skills, and in the end, the company can hire the wrong applicants. In this context, the principles of ethics like deontology ethics will be undermined—the principle of deontology emphasizes honesty (Morrell & Dahlmann, 2022). When people give false information about their qualifications, they contradict the deontology ethic of being truthful. In deontology, speaking the truth is allowed, while lying is discouraged.
Conclusion
The counterclaim of my position is that it is ethical to evaluate the social media contents of IT professionals and make employment decisions based on the findings above. Organizations may use social media content in hiring for cultural and reputation reasons, fairness, and transparency. An organization can examine the public social media content to know the IT professional’s behaviors and character. These aspects can be considered ethical but, at the same unethical. When organizations hire IT professionals based on unfair and discriminative aspects, the ethical virtue of deontology is undermined because the applicants will not be based on their qualifications and capabilities. The deontology principle points out that for things to be considered right, they must be done using the right way. Companies should hire IT professionals to uphold this principle based on their qualifications, not based on discrimination aspects like race, ethnicity, and gender.
References
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Ewing, M., Men, L. R., & O’Neil, J. (2019). Using social media to engage employees: Insights from internal communication managers. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(2), 110-132. (n.d.). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1553118X.2019.1575830
GAl, U., Jensen, T. B., & Stein, M. K. (2020). Breaking the vicious cycle of algorithmic management: A virtue ethics approach to people analytics. Information and Organization, 30(2), 100301. (n.d.). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471772720300257
Hunkenschroer, A. L., & Luetge, C. (2022). Ethics of AI-enabled recruiting and selection: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 178(4), 977-1007. (n.d.). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-022-05049-6
Men, L. R., O’Neil, J., & Ewing, M. (2020). Examining the effects of internal social media usage on employee engagement. Public Relations Review, 46(2), 101880. (n.d.). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0363811120300011
Morrell, K., & Dahlmann, F. (2022). Aristotle in the Anthropocene: The comparative benefits of Aristotelian virtue ethics over Utilitarianism and deontology. The Anthropocene Review, 20530196221105093. (n.d.). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20530196221105093
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