Is it wrong to peek at colleagues paycheck?
As a background story, I am part of the IT person at the company.
The company wants to create a system to automate invoicing and billing process using our internal system because at the moment we're doing all of those manually by looking at transaction history on our system then copy/paste to an online accounting system services.
Obviously I need an access to be able to request an API call to that accounting system online to create the invoice/billing from our internal system, additionally I need full access to the system to do that (the accounting system we're using not very good to be able to implement minimum access policy for this, but good enough for us so far).
Consequently since we're using the same system and the same account both for our customer and internal accounting stuff (staff paycheck, bills, etc.), I could see literally everything (we're a small company with <20 staff in the office)
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
salary ethics united-kingdom
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
|
show 4 more comments
As a background story, I am part of the IT person at the company.
The company wants to create a system to automate invoicing and billing process using our internal system because at the moment we're doing all of those manually by looking at transaction history on our system then copy/paste to an online accounting system services.
Obviously I need an access to be able to request an API call to that accounting system online to create the invoice/billing from our internal system, additionally I need full access to the system to do that (the accounting system we're using not very good to be able to implement minimum access policy for this, but good enough for us so far).
Consequently since we're using the same system and the same account both for our customer and internal accounting stuff (staff paycheck, bills, etc.), I could see literally everything (we're a small company with <20 staff in the office)
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
salary ethics united-kingdom
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
10
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
1
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
9
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago
|
show 4 more comments
As a background story, I am part of the IT person at the company.
The company wants to create a system to automate invoicing and billing process using our internal system because at the moment we're doing all of those manually by looking at transaction history on our system then copy/paste to an online accounting system services.
Obviously I need an access to be able to request an API call to that accounting system online to create the invoice/billing from our internal system, additionally I need full access to the system to do that (the accounting system we're using not very good to be able to implement minimum access policy for this, but good enough for us so far).
Consequently since we're using the same system and the same account both for our customer and internal accounting stuff (staff paycheck, bills, etc.), I could see literally everything (we're a small company with <20 staff in the office)
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
salary ethics united-kingdom
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
As a background story, I am part of the IT person at the company.
The company wants to create a system to automate invoicing and billing process using our internal system because at the moment we're doing all of those manually by looking at transaction history on our system then copy/paste to an online accounting system services.
Obviously I need an access to be able to request an API call to that accounting system online to create the invoice/billing from our internal system, additionally I need full access to the system to do that (the accounting system we're using not very good to be able to implement minimum access policy for this, but good enough for us so far).
Consequently since we're using the same system and the same account both for our customer and internal accounting stuff (staff paycheck, bills, etc.), I could see literally everything (we're a small company with <20 staff in the office)
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
salary ethics united-kingdom
salary ethics united-kingdom
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
edited 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
58.1k50185234
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
asked 2 hours ago
aries
1254
1254
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
aries is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
10
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
1
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
9
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago
|
show 4 more comments
10
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
1
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
9
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago
10
10
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
1
1
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
9
9
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago
|
show 4 more comments
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
Stop what you're doing and think things through.
You're developing APIs that interact with a live finance system. If things go wrong and you write instead of read or do something to corrupt the system, you could wreck people's lives (and the company for that matter).
Don't do that.
Create or request a separate test system to interface with and use that to develop and test against before attaching to the live system. If this is an online (third party) system, then they should be able to provide you with a test system/account to use for the purposes of development.
Even with a small company like yours, this is really really important.
And don't look at people's personal information - it's morally (and potentially legally) wrong - make sure that your test system has test values in it.
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
add a comment |
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
Yes, and illegal in a lot of countries. Don't do this, and if you did hope no one will ever know or you risk your job and maybe more.
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Yes. You should only be accessing the data you need to access to do your job, especially when it comes to financial data.
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
add a comment |
Depends on what you consider ethically wrong. I for one would be curious and do it when no one is watching, not because it's right or ethical, but because I would want to know if I'm getting shafted with the pay. As the answers above pointed out, I would refrain if specifically requested not to or it's illegal to do so.
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
add a comment |
I agree fully with the answer of @Snow. Besides that:
Never use administrative access to "peek" at things. In 99% of the cases there is no credible explanation that you actually need to look at a real live document as an IT person, unless you need to give support on a specific case.
If you happen to come across such information without being explicitly permitted and asked to by the administration of your company, keep it absolutely confidential and never ever talk about it - but inform your boss that some procedure is not OK (see next point).
If you have a support role where you get in touch with personal information and your company has not given you a dedicated training/explanation on it, including introducing the person actually responsible for this, then something is severely wrong in the administration. In a well organized company, there is no way that somebody gets in contact with salary information without that being addressed explicitly, including precise limitations and procedure how to handle things, and a form which you have to sign that you understood what was said.
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "423"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: false,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
aries is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f125827%2fis-it-wrong-to-peek-at-colleagues-paycheck%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(function () {
$("#show-editor-button input, #show-editor-button button").click(function () {
var showEditor = function() {
$("#show-editor-button").hide();
$("#post-form").removeClass("dno");
StackExchange.editor.finallyInit();
};
var useFancy = $(this).data('confirm-use-fancy');
if(useFancy == 'True') {
var popupTitle = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-title');
var popupBody = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-body');
var popupAccept = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-accept-button');
$(this).loadPopup({
url: '/post/self-answer-popup',
loaded: function(popup) {
var pTitle = $(popup).find('h2');
var pBody = $(popup).find('.popup-body');
var pSubmit = $(popup).find('.popup-submit');
pTitle.text(popupTitle);
pBody.html(popupBody);
pSubmit.val(popupAccept).click(showEditor);
}
})
} else{
var confirmText = $(this).data('confirm-text');
if (confirmText ? confirm(confirmText) : true) {
showEditor();
}
}
});
});
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Stop what you're doing and think things through.
You're developing APIs that interact with a live finance system. If things go wrong and you write instead of read or do something to corrupt the system, you could wreck people's lives (and the company for that matter).
Don't do that.
Create or request a separate test system to interface with and use that to develop and test against before attaching to the live system. If this is an online (third party) system, then they should be able to provide you with a test system/account to use for the purposes of development.
Even with a small company like yours, this is really really important.
And don't look at people's personal information - it's morally (and potentially legally) wrong - make sure that your test system has test values in it.
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
add a comment |
Stop what you're doing and think things through.
You're developing APIs that interact with a live finance system. If things go wrong and you write instead of read or do something to corrupt the system, you could wreck people's lives (and the company for that matter).
Don't do that.
Create or request a separate test system to interface with and use that to develop and test against before attaching to the live system. If this is an online (third party) system, then they should be able to provide you with a test system/account to use for the purposes of development.
Even with a small company like yours, this is really really important.
And don't look at people's personal information - it's morally (and potentially legally) wrong - make sure that your test system has test values in it.
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
add a comment |
Stop what you're doing and think things through.
You're developing APIs that interact with a live finance system. If things go wrong and you write instead of read or do something to corrupt the system, you could wreck people's lives (and the company for that matter).
Don't do that.
Create or request a separate test system to interface with and use that to develop and test against before attaching to the live system. If this is an online (third party) system, then they should be able to provide you with a test system/account to use for the purposes of development.
Even with a small company like yours, this is really really important.
And don't look at people's personal information - it's morally (and potentially legally) wrong - make sure that your test system has test values in it.
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
Stop what you're doing and think things through.
You're developing APIs that interact with a live finance system. If things go wrong and you write instead of read or do something to corrupt the system, you could wreck people's lives (and the company for that matter).
Don't do that.
Create or request a separate test system to interface with and use that to develop and test against before attaching to the live system. If this is an online (third party) system, then they should be able to provide you with a test system/account to use for the purposes of development.
Even with a small company like yours, this is really really important.
And don't look at people's personal information - it's morally (and potentially legally) wrong - make sure that your test system has test values in it.
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
answered 1 hour ago
Snow♦
58.1k50185234
58.1k50185234
add a comment |
add a comment |
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
Yes, and illegal in a lot of countries. Don't do this, and if you did hope no one will ever know or you risk your job and maybe more.
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
Yes, and illegal in a lot of countries. Don't do this, and if you did hope no one will ever know or you risk your job and maybe more.
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
Yes, and illegal in a lot of countries. Don't do this, and if you did hope no one will ever know or you risk your job and maybe more.
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
Is it ethically wrong to have peek at staff paycheck?
Yes, and illegal in a lot of countries. Don't do this, and if you did hope no one will ever know or you risk your job and maybe more.
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
answered 2 hours ago
LP154
1,540516
1,540516
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
Note, there are usually exceptions in the law (or company guidelines at least) for people who need to see this data, usually that means just HR. In a small company with blended roles I can see you falling under this exception but it will mean a big responsibility and probably some extra training.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As OP said, he needs to create invoices not to look at other's paychecks. I don't think the exception will help him there.
– LP154
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
As I read it, he is the one responsible for their accounting software and in most companies you need someone who is able to confirm "yes we transferred (x money) to (y acocunt) on (z date)", ideally the company invoices and paychecks go through a seperate systems but in a smaller company with a single system that might not be realistic. I'd recommend building something where you get a "yes i want to see this" popup before any sensitive information is shown.
– Borgh
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Yes. You should only be accessing the data you need to access to do your job, especially when it comes to financial data.
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
add a comment |
Yes. You should only be accessing the data you need to access to do your job, especially when it comes to financial data.
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
add a comment |
Yes. You should only be accessing the data you need to access to do your job, especially when it comes to financial data.
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
Yes. You should only be accessing the data you need to access to do your job, especially when it comes to financial data.
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
answered 2 hours ago
Robert Dundon
1,645189
1,645189
add a comment |
add a comment |
Depends on what you consider ethically wrong. I for one would be curious and do it when no one is watching, not because it's right or ethical, but because I would want to know if I'm getting shafted with the pay. As the answers above pointed out, I would refrain if specifically requested not to or it's illegal to do so.
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
add a comment |
Depends on what you consider ethically wrong. I for one would be curious and do it when no one is watching, not because it's right or ethical, but because I would want to know if I'm getting shafted with the pay. As the answers above pointed out, I would refrain if specifically requested not to or it's illegal to do so.
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
add a comment |
Depends on what you consider ethically wrong. I for one would be curious and do it when no one is watching, not because it's right or ethical, but because I would want to know if I'm getting shafted with the pay. As the answers above pointed out, I would refrain if specifically requested not to or it's illegal to do so.
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
Depends on what you consider ethically wrong. I for one would be curious and do it when no one is watching, not because it's right or ethical, but because I would want to know if I'm getting shafted with the pay. As the answers above pointed out, I would refrain if specifically requested not to or it's illegal to do so.
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
answered 1 hour ago
BoboDarph
2,7471516
2,7471516
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
add a comment |
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
If I find out that you looked at my salary without my permission and without any need I will do my hardest to get you out of the company. I think my boss will agree with this, so I won’t have to work hard. Even more with GDPR.
– gnasher729
47 mins ago
1
1
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
"Depends on what you consider ethically wrong." - spot on; there are some truths people don't like to hear; like ethics is a personal thing. Legal points are not however - and this would be breaking the law. Anyway, what would you do if you did find out you were being paid less - if you say to your boss "I saw everyones pay and I want more" their reply will be with a boot.
– UKMonkey
37 mins ago
add a comment |
I agree fully with the answer of @Snow. Besides that:
Never use administrative access to "peek" at things. In 99% of the cases there is no credible explanation that you actually need to look at a real live document as an IT person, unless you need to give support on a specific case.
If you happen to come across such information without being explicitly permitted and asked to by the administration of your company, keep it absolutely confidential and never ever talk about it - but inform your boss that some procedure is not OK (see next point).
If you have a support role where you get in touch with personal information and your company has not given you a dedicated training/explanation on it, including introducing the person actually responsible for this, then something is severely wrong in the administration. In a well organized company, there is no way that somebody gets in contact with salary information without that being addressed explicitly, including precise limitations and procedure how to handle things, and a form which you have to sign that you understood what was said.
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
add a comment |
I agree fully with the answer of @Snow. Besides that:
Never use administrative access to "peek" at things. In 99% of the cases there is no credible explanation that you actually need to look at a real live document as an IT person, unless you need to give support on a specific case.
If you happen to come across such information without being explicitly permitted and asked to by the administration of your company, keep it absolutely confidential and never ever talk about it - but inform your boss that some procedure is not OK (see next point).
If you have a support role where you get in touch with personal information and your company has not given you a dedicated training/explanation on it, including introducing the person actually responsible for this, then something is severely wrong in the administration. In a well organized company, there is no way that somebody gets in contact with salary information without that being addressed explicitly, including precise limitations and procedure how to handle things, and a form which you have to sign that you understood what was said.
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
add a comment |
I agree fully with the answer of @Snow. Besides that:
Never use administrative access to "peek" at things. In 99% of the cases there is no credible explanation that you actually need to look at a real live document as an IT person, unless you need to give support on a specific case.
If you happen to come across such information without being explicitly permitted and asked to by the administration of your company, keep it absolutely confidential and never ever talk about it - but inform your boss that some procedure is not OK (see next point).
If you have a support role where you get in touch with personal information and your company has not given you a dedicated training/explanation on it, including introducing the person actually responsible for this, then something is severely wrong in the administration. In a well organized company, there is no way that somebody gets in contact with salary information without that being addressed explicitly, including precise limitations and procedure how to handle things, and a form which you have to sign that you understood what was said.
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
I agree fully with the answer of @Snow. Besides that:
Never use administrative access to "peek" at things. In 99% of the cases there is no credible explanation that you actually need to look at a real live document as an IT person, unless you need to give support on a specific case.
If you happen to come across such information without being explicitly permitted and asked to by the administration of your company, keep it absolutely confidential and never ever talk about it - but inform your boss that some procedure is not OK (see next point).
If you have a support role where you get in touch with personal information and your company has not given you a dedicated training/explanation on it, including introducing the person actually responsible for this, then something is severely wrong in the administration. In a well organized company, there is no way that somebody gets in contact with salary information without that being addressed explicitly, including precise limitations and procedure how to handle things, and a form which you have to sign that you understood what was said.
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
answered 1 min ago
Sascha
7,39221535
7,39221535
add a comment |
add a comment |
aries is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
aries is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
aries is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
aries is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to The Workplace Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f125827%2fis-it-wrong-to-peek-at-colleagues-paycheck%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
10
Wait, are you experimenting on the real "production server"? What happens if you mistakenly flush all the data? Usually this kind of job is done on an experimental server, where you (or someone else) has full access and can create users and data quickly, so you can play with some "dummy" data, and not risk damaging the real database
– frarugi87
1 hour ago
Are you breaching any data protection laws in your country by peeking at information for no reason beyond idle curiosity?
– Kozaky
1 hour ago
1
@Kozaky the OP's profile indicates they are UK based - so what the OP proposes would be a GDPR violation
– motosubatsu
1 hour ago
9
The fact that you're asking kinda indicates you already know the answer is yes. So, what is your question?
– rath
1 hour ago
Is it ethically wrong doesn't seem to have any practical meaning. Is it wrong according to company policy? Or local law? That seems much more concrete. I'm still not sure why you're asking, or how anyone could possibly argue "it's OK" from an ethics perspective. What do you hope to gain from snooping? How would you justify it if people found out? Ask yourself those questions, regardless of what answers are given here.
– dwizum
1 hour ago