Business

ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF EMPLOYEES

SHEMIKA LOCKETT

PROFESSOR ELVEEDA DIXON

LEG 500

LAW, ETHICS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

JANUARY 23, 2011

ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF EMPLOYEES

1. Explain where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace.

Privacy in the workplace has become a huge issue that businesses face today. Employers often feel the need to monitor their employees to find out if they are productive and loyal (Halbert & Ingulli, 2011). The surveillance of employees is starting to make them feel like they are not being trusted by their employer and their personal privacy has been invaded (LexisNexis, 2010). Employees do have some privacy protection when it pertains to issues such as medical information. Employers have a very good reason for wanting to monitor employee activity (LexisNexis, 2010). These reasons include maintaining a productive workplace, maintaining the security of confidential company data, protecting the investment in computers and other equipment, protecting the business and community reputation and cooperating with law enforcement during investigations of suspected legal activity (LexisNexis, 2010).

While there are laws governing what constitutes a violation of an individual’s privacy, they are very limited in scope (LexisNexis, 2010). Employers should clarify the rights of employees and what is considered an invasion of privacy (LexisNexis, 2010). Management needs to define what is acceptable supervision/surveillance (LexisNexis, 2010). In the workplace, employees’ privacy should not be violated by video surveillance in specific locations that include showers, restrooms, changing rooms, smoking areas and employee lounges (LexisNexis, 2010). These are supposed to be places specifically for employees’ personal comfort, health or for safeguarding their possessions (LexisNexis, 2010).

2. In the office workplace there are typically two types of workspaces, an open area, in which...