Outsourcing and Its Consequences II: The Philosophical and Ethical Issues Raised by Outsourcing

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Outsourcing can be done in a number of ways. An institution can implement strict guidelines that require a company to provide its employees with a livable wage, healthcare, benefits, and the like. And yet, institutions frequently go with the lowest bid. That bid may save the university income, but the consequences may be good neither for the employees nor for the quality of the institution. Outsourcing generally leads to workforce reductions and downsizing. Furthermore, the cheapest bid may save money in the short run but cost the university in the long run. In the business world, outsourcing has come under fire. It is often seen as a synonym for offshore employment, where American workers lose jobs to underpaid individuals in third world countries. By and large, postsecondary institutions do not engage in this form of outsourcing. At its core, outsourcing goes to the heart of academic life. Presumably, the faculty, by way of shared governance, should have something to say about how the organization treats employees—but the faculty usually says nothing about outsourcing. Others will say that the faculty should have nothing to say about outsourcing—that it is an administrative issue, and it has nothing to do with shared governance. Still others will suggest that faculty always try to block changes. I appreciate the concern and criticism, but I also offer a caution, and it has to do with the slippery slope to which I referred at the outset of this article.