What Employers Need to Know About Workplace Monitoring and Employee Privacy

Introduction

Businesses are heavily reliant on technology to complete their day-to-day operations, and employees need to use computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones to complete their tasks. Some businesses even require that certain employees access social media pages and personal email accounts to complete the work that is set out for them, which can cause issues for employees under certain conditions, especially in the United States.

Because this online usage has become commonplace globally, it has created the misconception for employees that any device with an Internet connection is authorized to access private online content. This is certainly not the case in the United States, and as such, employers have a right to monitor and review the manner in which their company property is being utilized. There are some caveats that need to be taken into consideration, however, and we will look at what you need to know your rights as both an employer and an employee.

The general rule of thumb for employees is that if they do not want their personal data to be viewed by their employer, then they must not use company property to access, view or edit such information. We will be looking at what the relationship between workplace monitoring and employee privacy is like currently in America.

Set Expectations from Day 1

Most companies make it very clear as to what the policies are regarding fair usage and privacy when using company resources such as WiFi, computers and the Internet. All of this should be included in the employee handbook, the employee induction procedures, or in the IT Policy Documentation.

The reason that these expectations should be documented and put in writing is so that nobody is surprised when a PC is taken in for review, or if activity logs and records are investigated (Read more...)

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