And we should not only be honest and ethical, we should be known to be so.
The above is taken from a letter written by David R. Smith, international president of the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). It touches upon a subject that concerns all of us in our personal and professional lives, and that should be carefully considered knowledge in a moonlighting situation. Some of the ideas on how to gain exposure apply here. Many small businesses need consultants who can help them make maximum use of whatever computer systems they've installed, and are more than happy to pay someone on a contract basis.
Those of you with PCs at home can develop businesses utilizing the capabilities of your equipment. For example, you can offer word-processing services, computer graphics for local artists and printers, and electronic spreadsheet services for accounting firms.
If you should decide to pursue a moonlighting venture as a means of insuring your income, don't feel you're doing something out of the ordinary. A recent issue of U.S. News World Report notes that between 1975 and 1985 the percentage of white-collar workers with more than one income rose from 4 percent to 5.4 percent. Among the nation's 105 million workers there are more than 5 million moonlighters. It is no longer true that moonlighters are primarily blue-collar workers taking menial second jobs to make ends meet. The growth in moonlighting is with professional and technical people, like yourself. The same holds true for jobs available through temporary employment services. At Accountemps, most of the people we provide to clients on a temporary basis are highly skilled and have considerable knowledge of their areas of specialization.
A word of advice if you should decide to moonlight: tell your employer about it. Present it in all its positive light and with your assurance that it will in no way interfere with your primary responsibility to the common impact upon the lives of everyone, it offers a fertile field for unethical behavior.
The increasing emphasis upon security in data processing hasn't happened by accident. It is supply and demand at its best. As cases of unethical behavior by DPers increase, the need to police these activities expands at a parallel rate.
Professional organizations within data processing have been addressing this problem through analysis of it, and by attempting to draw professional guidelines to represent a standard of ethical behavior in the field. The subject of business ethics is grist for a book unto itself, but it does seem worth mentioning here, if only to raise the consciousness of each of you striving for a successful career in data processing.
It would behoove you to spend some time thinking about the ethics of data processing, and assuring yourself that your attitudes toward the use of this powerful and pervasive force in our society are in line with basic ethical principles.
Of course, there is a whole range of business ethics that is not unique to data processing. The way we conduct ourselves in our daily business lives, no matter what the field, will play a significant role in chores, badmouthing your company to a competitor, and a whole range of other "insignificant" actions are, in fact, unethical.
A good example is how certain individuals handle the search for a new job. It is my contention that no employee, at any level, has a right to discuss job changing while in the company office and on company time. It not only is not fair to the company paying their salary, it's unethical, and could cost them their job at an inconvenient time. This situation often arises when a headhunter contacts an employee to see whether that person would be interested in changing jobs. The ethical response is to get the individual's name and number and arrange to talk after business hours. The unethical way to handle this is to close your office door and engage in a conversation that obviously contributes nothing to your company's productivity, and that also is an act of disloyalty. It has nothing to do with whether you wish to change jobs. That is your decision and you have a perfect right to make it. Running many personal copies on an idle company copying machine after asking permission to do so is ethical. Doing it surreptitiously is unethical.
I firmly believe, and have practiced throughout my business career, that ethical behavior is not only right, but also pays off for the individual or company practicing it. A short-term profit gained by sacrificing good business practices invariably results in a long-term loss. The foundation of a successful career depends upon a commitment to ethics; ethics is an ingredient of professionalism; ethical people have little fear of disobeying the law.
An afterthought about dealing with headhunters who seek you out. That can be a stimulating experience. It certainly tends to boost one's ego. The problem is that headhunters sometimes do not actually represent any company looking for someone with your qualifications and could be using you as a basis for soliciting an assignment. If you are happy with your job, and not particularly interested in leaving, do you really want to allow yourself to become their bait? Are you sure it won't get back to your present employer? How did the headhunter happen to find you? Ask for names and details before taking that next step, no matter how ego-boosting it may be.
