Electronic Surveilance of Employees

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

Before answering the question we need to know the definition of privacy.

What is privacy? According to a book by David Jr. (2010, p 13) privacy is referred as “the

condition of being protected from unwanted access by others – either physical access, personal

information of attention. Every human being has right have privacy over their life, behavior and

background but “as above that privacy, as a right, can be overridden by another privacy (Auburn,

2000, p 103). Supporting this statement employers want to know their workers productivity and

loyalty (Halbert, 2009, p 70) and furthermore employer doesn’t want their employee wasting

their time in appropriate behavior in their workplace.

Having said that employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace. Such

as employees has right to have privacy on their personal record such as social security number,

medical records. Employers are not generally permitted to disclose personal records to third

party without the permission of the employee. Furthermore under ILO (International Labor

Organization, 1996) certain data such as sex life, political and religious belief should not be

collected and disclosed by employee (epic.org). Under privacy act of 1986 and International

Labor Code 1996 polygraph testing by employer is illegal (Halbert. et. al, 2009 and epic.org).

In this case Tony (salesman) can expect to have privacy in the workplace in his personal

records, sex life, political, and religious beliefs and Herman (employer) is not allowed to disclose

these data. So employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in their workplace and that

privacy is not only their right but it also proctored by the law.

2. In the office workplace there are typically two types of workspaces, an open area, in which there are several desks and where conversations can be...