Essay on Workplace Privacy - 3099 Words

Workplace Privacy Background As a director for the American Red Cross of Santa Monica, not only am I constantly faced with policy and personnel conflicts, I am also responsible for finding solutions to those conflicts. Recently, I was charged with the task of finding a solution to a problem we (as a chapter) had never dealt with before. The American Red Cross is an apolitical organization. During the recent elections, a supervisor in my office sent out emails to many of our colleagues and her friends stating her opinion regarding Proposition 22 (the proposition referring to the status of gay relationships). She was strongly against the issue, and was encouraging everyone to get out and vote against this†¦show more content†¦What follows in this report are my findings on these issues. Summary If you are reading this paper at work, chances are your boss may be reading it right along with you and you do not know it. Employers have a legitimate interest in monitoring their employees in the workplace. Besides efficiency and productivity, employers want to protect their agencies from possible employee misconduct, fraud, and misrepresentation. Current legal trends seem to indicate that employer interests are going to be given deference, especially if the workplace continues to experience signs of increased destructive behaviors (thefts, workplace violence, copyright infringement, etc.). At times, employee surveillance is viewed as absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, there are virtually no clear-cut laws that regulate employee monitoring in the workplace. In order to protect yourself, understand your employer’s policy on employee monitoring and know your privacy rights if your employer abuses monitoring in the workplace. The Privacy Issue One of the most interesting, yet controversial areas concerning employment is that of privacy. Employers and employees alike are trying to discern what limits should a company have over intrusions into, and claims over employees’ behaviors and personal properties. The advent of theShow MoreRelatedInvasion of Privacy in the Workplace2539 Words   |  11 PagesTitle: Invasion of Privacy in the Workplace OMM 640: Ethics and Social Responsibility Instructor: David Bouvin Debbie Barrow May 07, 2012 Do you feel like your workplace is your safe haven? Is your privacy invaded in your workplace? Can employers read your e-mail; monitor your blog or social network post. Employees peeping over your shoulder (sneakily), or even putting up a surveillance camera, as an employee, we should notRead MoreElectronic Monitoring and Workplace Privacy1774 Words   |  8 PagesElectronic Monitoring and Workplace Privacy Workplace privacy is one of the biggest issues facing businesses today. Do you feel like you are being watched all the time, all your e-mails being read, and every key stroke is being monitored by your boss? Some people feel this way and that is why privacy in the workplace is a problem with many businesses today. Employees feel like they are not being trusted, or feel the company invades on their personal privacy, or violates their fourth amendmentRead MorePrivacy Law Of The American Workplace1280 Words   |  6 PagesIn this article Evans summarized privacy law in the American workplace, and also scholar Mathew Finkin painted a dramatic picture of the surveillance under which many many American employee work. Moreover, Finkin mentioned in this article that 34% of American employee are monitored continuously with regard to their email and internet usage privacy. In addition, He also pointed that The problem of employee privacy and productivity becomes more significant as the boundaries between formal and informalRead MoreRecommendation Report : Workplace Privacy Essay717 Words   |  3 PagesDixon Subject: Recommendation Report – Workplace privacy Date: March 2nd, 2015 The purpose of this memo is to present my research and recommendations regarding workplace privacy and the monitoring of current, and new employees’ and their use of company owned equipment at work. Summary Employee privacy and the rights of employers are often debated, but to reduce an employee’s confusion and to ease the company’s potential liability, a thorough workplace policy should be in place for employeesRead MoreEssay on Privacy in the Workplace2455 Words   |  10 PagesPrivacy in the Workplace Introduction Technology has developed in leaps and bounds over the past few decades. The case is that the law always has difficulty keeping pace with new issues and technology and the few laws that are enacted are usually very general and obsucre. The main topic of this paper is to address the effect of technology on privacy in the workplace. We have to have an understanding of privacy before trying to protect it. Based on the Gift of Fire, privacy has three pieces:Read MorePrivacy in the Workplace Essay1624 Words   |  7 PagesPrivacy in the Workplace In recent times our right to privacy has been under fire, particularly in the workplace. With the fear of terrorists in todays world, we have been willing to sacrifice some of our individual rights for the rights of a society as a whole. A majority of these changes have taken place since September 11, 2001, in an attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks. New legislation, such as the USA Patriot Act, which decreases the limitations on the federal governments abilityRead More Privacy in the Workplace Essay2057 Words   |  9 PagesPrivacy. There seems to be no legal issue today that cuts so wide a swath through conflicts confronting American society: from AIDS tests to wiretaps, polygraph test to computerized data bases, the common denominator has been whether the right to privacy outweighs other concerns of society†¦ This quote from Robert Ellis Smith explains, in one sentence, the absolute need to ensure privacy in the workplace. One of the most interesting, yet controvers ial, areas concerning public personnel is employeeRead MoreAn Employee’S Right To Privacy In The Workplace Is An Increasingly1349 Words   |  6 PagesAn employee’s right to privacy in the workplace is an increasingly controversial legal topic, especially in an age of increased technology. These days, employers can virtually monitor all workplace communications made by employees using computers such as the Internet and company email. While the law generally allows this monitoring, some employee’s view it is a violation of their privacy. Other bothersome topics on an employee’s right to privacy in the workplace is employee drug or honesty testingRead MoreEmployee Privacy Rights In The Workplace Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesThe issue of privacy is a big concern in the workplace. With the expanding of new technology, many employees are concern about his or, her privacy in the workplace. Employees have the right to go to work knowing that his or, her e mployer will not invade their privacy. The rights to privacy in the workplace only provide limited protection for workers against monitoring and breach of confidentiality. The National Work Rights Institute states, under the federal law, the limited protection the ElectronicRead MoreEmployee Privacy Rights in the Workplace Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesEmployee Privacy Rights in the Workplace Employee privacy rights have been the topic of great debate in recent years. This essay will examine: the definition of privacy, employers rights to access activities done in the workplace, to whom the resources such as time and equipment belong, and employee monitoring as an invasion of privacy or a performance evaluation tool. These are the core issues of the employee privacy rights controversy. Employee privacy rights should only be applicable to the personal