When Does the Boss Become Big Brother?

Sure, you know you can't Google porn at work and that you have limited privacy rights (Read: virtually none) when it comes to company-owned computers and phones. But can senior management intrude too much on employees' work lives? Do off-duty employees have privacy rights? Nolo, the legal resource website, has a series of easy-to-read articles on the do's and don't of workplace privacy. The articles are great for employers who want to understand how not to fall into the trap of becoming a corporate Big Brother. And the articles are useful for employees who want to make sure their privacy is respected. Articles include Workplace Searches: Dos and Don'ts, Monitoring Employee Communications, Monitoring Employees' Off-duty Conduct and Proving Your Privacy Was Violated At Work. Don't have time to read all that yourself? Not a problem. Here are a few sample tips from the article on monitoring employee communications:

"Adopt a policy - Tell your workers that they will be monitored, and under what circumstances. If you indicate that you will respect the privacy of personal phone calls or email messages, make sure that you live up to your promise.

Monitor only for legitimate reasons - You will be on safest legal ground — and waste less time and money — if you monitor only for sound, business-related reasons. If you have a reasonable suspicion that a particular employee is engaging in unauthorized use of your equipment, that would certainly qualify as a legitimate cause for monitoring.

Be reasonable - Employees will not perform their best work if they are in constant fear of eavesdropping. Overreaching monitoring — or unnecessarily draconian policies about personal use of communications equipment — will only result in employee resentment and attrition."

By Joseph De Avila
 
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