Course Paper Employee Privacy Rights Social Sciences Essay

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Employee Privacy Rights
Introduction
Employee privacy is a significant issue that characterizes debates in today’s business environment. In a world characterized by technological advancement, employees at the workplace interact with devices that may affect their privacy. While the advancement of the internet has not led to significant changes in the privacy laws, managers still have to be aware of privacy issues that their organizations may be liable to. According to Steingold, there may be instances where a manager would like to monitor the activities of an employee, for example, looking at materials at their computer or searching their belongings (290). While such actions may be well-intended, they may be perceived as an invasion of privacy by employees. Steingold points out that no one knows the exact balance between the right of the employer to control the workplace and the employees’ right to privacy (290). This paper examines key privacy issues that managers must be aware of in order to reduce the chances of facing litigation. These issues include internet use, voicemail and phone calls, searches and seizures, drug and alcohol testing, and medical records.
Internet Use
The internet has become an important part of today’s workplace environment and it raises significant privacy issues. When employees are intently focusing on screens or tapping the keyboard, how sure are employers that they are carrying out the work they are required to do? As informed by Steingold, the employees may be checking sports scores, trading stocks, or shopping online (292). Therefore, managers may be concerned with what the employees do when connected to the internet. According to Bagley, the use of instant messaging (IM), email, and internet by employees raises critical issues for the employer (338). From the productivity point of view, managers may be concerned that there much time wasted on the internet by employees. This is more so because the employees may spend part of the working hours on the internet doing things that are not beneficial to the organization. Also, Bagley notes that the use of the internet by employees at the workplace may subject their organizations to liability. Examples of such liabilities include trademark or copyright violation, ethnic slurs in emails, or sexually explicit messages. The use of workplace computers by employees may also allow for an unauthorized transfer of the secrets of the organization, which may be damaging.
Many companies monitor how employees use the internet. In a survey by the American Management Association (AMA), it was found that 66% of companies monitor how employees use the internet while 43% monitor emails of employees (Bagley 339). While such monitoring may be allowed legally, some cases may violate the employees’ rights to privacy. In the case of O'Connor v. Ortega, it was ruled that a public employee may enjoy some extent of privacy expectation in the workplace (Steingold 339). Therefore, in order for managers to avoid potential liability issues, it is important that they formulate workplace policies that guide employees’ usage of the internet.
Voicemail and Phone Calls
Privacy issue...