The proliferation of technology has added new meaning to the Talmudic teachings that “there is a seeing eye, a hearing ear and all our actions are written down in the book”. No longer can one ever be guaranteed that the most trivial of our activities won’t one day show up on you tube, on a facebook page or just on the pages of the newspaper. While our Sages were referring to our need to constantly remind ourselves of G-d’s presence, mans ability and seeming urge to record almost everything, helps to make real for us the insight of our sages. Many have and continue to learn this message the hard way leaving both their personal and professional lives in tatters.
As a tired employee of the Toronto Transit Commission recently discovered even such an innocent act of dozing off can be front page news. Unfortunately the rush to broadcast news of others regardless of the underlying situation is the more serious infraction of behaviour, at least from an ethical perspective.
It is true that Jewish law mandates a very strict work ethic. In order ensure one is maximally focused on one’s employment Jewish law generally prohibits moonlighting and demands that employees get a proper night sleep. The obligation to put in an honest day’s work was so central that employees, were relived of many (or at least had lowered) religious obligations such as prayer and the grace after meals. One can not be religious on someone else’s time and expense.
The recent report of a Muslim bus driver in England, who in the middle of his route stopped the bus, and blocking the exit took a break for prayer would be a clear violation of Jewish law. This story is reminiscent of the complaint Rav Yisroel Salanter had against a passerby, engrossed in thoughts of repentance on the eve of Yom Kippur, did not greet the esteemed rabbi. While such thought are very important they do not excuse one from carrying out one’s basic human obligations.
Clearly sleeping on the job is not to be encouraged. Yet that does not mean that all have to know about it. Reporting information that portrays someone is a negative light, even if 100% accurate violates the Jewish laws of gossip. At times revealing such information is mandated in order to prevent harm or correct a wrong. Never is revealing such information optional. Either it is forbidden due to the laws of gossip or mandatory as a compelling need overrides the concern with gossip.
Yet revealing such information must follow strict guidelines which would include speaking with the “perpetrator” first, allowing him to take corrective action, revealing the information only to those who need to know, and not deriving any personal pleasure from performing this necessary obligation. The notion of getting back at someone if foreign to our system of ethics and must be resisted even if it means important information will not be revealed.
Revealing a relatively minor infraction – catching someone napping on the job without understanding the context – does not grant one permission to broadcast that information to all.
An employee would have to be regularity asleep at the job to have grounds for their dismissal. And this can be done only after a proper warning is given. As Jewish ethics believes in preventing and then if necessary correcting wrongs, having hidden cameras placed in sensitive spots to tray and catch someone would be an invasion of privacy and a violation of our ethical norms. However it is well within the right of an employer to notify an employee of having cameras overseeing his work – so that the employee will be forewarned to ensure they fulfil the job to the best of their ability.
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