Do you use software which is licensed to you at your job?

Question

What are the ethics of using personally licensed software in a professional setting? For the sake of discussion, we are not talking about any pirated software, only software which you have legally paid for, but are using at your job.

My company owns licenses for the tools we use the most, which basically includes everything we need to build our products. However, once every so often I need to do some very minor image editing or something. If I'm much more comfortable working with photoshop, for example, is it worth insisting that the company get a license for it, even though it would be hard to justify the expense? Or does one just suck it up and deal with a freeware alternative?

Would you consider it unethical at all to install personally licensed software on your workstation? What if you are a contractor and not employed fulltime?

Answer 1

At large corporations there's usually very clear rules about these things. My last client disallowed any kind of external software strictly. My current client expects that I have the licenses for the development tools, but do not really care who owns them (as long as it's not them :).

Answer 2

Pragmatically, since my company just won't pony up for tools which are technically speaking non-essential I'm left with a choice between doing my job with personal licences or doing my job like it's 1997.

Yeah I feel bad about doing so, but until I can make my escape a choice between my sanity and abstract entities losing out on some grey-area money is no choice at all.

Answer 3

My approach is to use the tools I need to get the job done. I've always used Ultraedit (no connection), licensed my own copy years ago and I use it everywhere. Chef's provide their own knives, tradies their own tools, we're no different, and most good stuff (PS excluded) is not that expensive so pay up and use it.

Another part of my experience has been to not stir anything up by explaining in huge detail why you need to use product X and really feel that they should buy a license, but if they don't you'll do the decent thing etc etc. Make a quick assesment whether your company will buy. If not, can you afford it? If yes, buy it and install it. If not go for a freeware alternative.

Managers/Senior people are not concerned with what tools you're using, really they're not. They care about finished software, which works, and doesn't have too many bugs - that's all they want to know about, and that's all you need to talk about.

Edit -- I've checked the Ultraedit license it states "....permits you to use a single copy, or multiples copies if you are the only user of the software product ....." - look for a license to use, not a license to install.

Answer 4

I think its just like using pirated software, thats why i use GIMP, because its learn once and use anywhere.

Answer 5

I would consider it unethical. Lot of softwars has different personal and professional licenses, and using cheaper personal license at work is a kind of piracy.

If you can't convince your boss to buy some software, don't steal it either.

EDIT: If you are a contractor and bringing your own laptop, it's ok. Just don't install it on company owned compeuters.

Answer 6

If your employer provides you with the software that you need albeit not the software you prefer, I think it is up to you to use privately licensed software at your own cost.

Answer 7

I strongly feel against using personally licensed software for corporate use.

Firstly, it blurs the line for the "intellectual property" the corporation works. Imagine you create a "out-of-the-blue" solution for something using personally licensed software and that could get you a ton... What would own it then?

Secondly, to be fair to the people who create the software, we should give them the benefit of doubt, by buying a "corporate" version even for a small change, since they invested so much in creating a product.

Thirdly, lets keep things simple.. its ok to prototype, but if the company intends to make money by using tools they better invest in them... who know the cost may justify in future!!

Answer 8

Agreed. I use a number of tools with my own license. I try to recommend the ones I think are better than the Company's chosen equivalents and sometimes this works - otherwise I just use my preferred tool and don't make a big fuss about it. The cost mostly isn't an issue - its not like I'd want to buy a license for a monstrosity like ClearCase for example. Hey if Soldiers in Iraq pay to up Armour their humvees I can fork out $20 for a better diff tool :)

Answer 9

From a legal point of view, it does not matter if you are employed by the company, or an external contractor, or not affiliated with the company in any way.

If you have a license for one installation, you may make one installation. If you have already installed the software at home, you have used up your license. If you uninstall the prog from your home computer, you may use the license again for installing it on another computer.

As krosenvold points out in his answer, some companies have policies that forbid installing you own software, no matter if you have a license or not. Since it is the company's computer, they can make the rules. Again, no matter if you are an employee or external or whatever.

Conclusion: If the company does not forbid it, and you have a valid license for the installation, you may do it.

Answer 10

At work, I use both company-bought/licensed software (Office, TOAD, ...) that is required to do my job. I also use my own personally acquired programs as well (UltraMon, DisplayFusion, ...) that aren't deemed necessary but that make my life easy. And the company doesn't have any issues with it.

Answer 11

I've done it, but that's because the company I work(ed) for would not buy the license and I needed the software to do my job. For example, I've used my home copy of Visual Studio because my boss wouldn't buy it for me, and I was hired to do/doing .NET work.

Answer 12

It seems you have two applicable agreements (contracts?) you've entered into: one with your employer, and one with the software licensor. If both of the agreements allow you to use the personally licensed software for business purposes, then I don't see why there could be an ethical problem in doing so.

If, however, either agreement says not to, then you shouldn't.

Answer 13

Would you consider it unethical at all to install personally licensed software on your workstation? What if you are a contractor and not employed fulltime?

Unethical? Only if the license you purchased explicitly states that it was not for use in such a setting. That is, if you purchased a 'student' or a 'personal, at-home' license then I would say using it in a commercial capacity is unethical.

That said, I believe that use of personally-licensed software at your workplace (assuming you're not self-employed) is a bad idea even if the license terms permit such use. If you need Tool X to do your job, then your employer -- who is profiting from the task being completed successfully -- needs to either supply Tool X or provide training for you to use their preferred Tool Y proficiently.

"Helping" your employer out by bringing in software from home really isn't helping them -- or you -- in the long run. Here's why:

1. If you don't brief your management on the situation, then they will continue to generate inaccurate estimates for the current and future (similar) tasks.
2. If you work on a corporate network, there's a chance that Tool X is not on the list of approved software. Likewise, there is a good possibility that there are existing policies prohibiting the installation/use of personally licensed software on that network. Regardless of the validity of such policies or lists of approved software, this is generally not a battle you want to find yourself fighting.
3. If you are assigned to another task, what happens to the copy of Tool X? Do you take it with you, and leave your replacement hanging? Do you let him have a copy, and (likely) violate the license?
4. If your management is oblivious to your use of Tool X to accomplish a particular task, they may also be uninformed as to what that task truly entails. This can lead to scope creep ("oh, Bill can do it, he already does a little of that already"), and then suddenly the personally-licensed tool you're using "once every so often" you're now using on a daily basis, possibly for extensive period of time.
5. If your management knowingly allows you to use personally licensed software to accomplish company business, that alone should serve as a 'canary in the coal mine' warning for you.
6. What happens when an upgrade is available for Tool X? Are you still willing to pay for it?
7. What happens if your development machine at work is upgraded to an OS (or even hardware) that is incompatible with Tool X?

Using your own personally-licensed software is not a good idea. At best, it serves as a crutch for unprofessional, complicit management. At worst, it prevents your employer from accurately assessing what it takes to accomplish a task and puts you in the cross-hairs if the software fails or must be quickly purchased in order to accomplish a task.

If you are a contractor, then use of such software owned by you should either be explicitly stated in your contract or worked out beforehand with your employer, if you are using it on the employer's network.

Answer 14

The only software I use at work that they didn't pay for is the firmware on my ipod. :)

You shouldn't ever have to use your own purchased equipment or software for a job (unless you are in a certain agreement or circumstance).

Most companies have policies and plans for this so I would speak with your manager. If you are at a small company just use your best judgment skills.

Corporations exist to make money, don't give them charity - they generally do not EVER return it.