Employee Privacy

Employee Privacy Report 1

Employee Privacy Report

University of Phoenix

Employee Privacy Report 2

What is Privacy?

Privacy is the right to be let alone and to control the conditions, under which information pertaining to you is collected, used and disseminated (U.S. Department of Interior, 2009). The Privacy Act establishes special requirements for the Executive Branch of Government when collecting, creating, maintaining, and distributing records that can be retrieved by the name of an individual or other identifier (whether in paper or electronic form). It applies to information on individuals.

Written Communication and Email

From time to time my company is involved with litigation which results in the obligation to produce records and deposition testimony. It is important therefore to know that whatever is written down will be preserved in accordance with the company’s record retention policy and may be produced and published in litigation. With the advent of email, it is common to quickly type a note or memo and click the “send” icon without enough thought given to the transmission. An email is permanent once transmitted and whatever is written down may be used in litigation. Often, words can be taken out of context or be distorted. Before clicking “send”; they ask us to give the same time and attention to an email that we would give to any other forms of written communication and make sure that what we say is necessary and properly stated and whether that information needs to be transmitted by email as opposed to another form of communication. When in doubt, pick up the telephone as opposed to clicking the “send” icon.

Our company’s email policy prohibits transmitting sensitive or confidential information through email. It is important to use great care and caution when communicating by email. Off-color, humor, sexual innuendo, abusive language, harassment or any form of discrimination are

Employee Privacy Report 3

not tolerated...