Employee privacy is a tangled legal issue. As technology changes, so does the clarity about employer and employee rights. Advances in technology provide employers with more ways to monitor employees. While employers have the right to expect productivity from employees and that they represent the company well on social sites, employees have the right to personal privacy.
An ethical organization is able to balance the rights of employees with the rights of the employer. The personal rights of each party may seem to conflict at times, privacy laws that vary between states creates additional complexity. Instituting clear privacy policies will prevent confusion between employees and employers. When creating policies, employers should remember that they are obligated to provide employees with a safe work environment that is free from harassment and consider carefully when taking actions that some consider an invasion of privacy.
Routinely companies collect detailed personal information about employees for background checks and other reasons however, must state the purpose of collecting this information and how it will be used in their privacy policy. Surveillance, monitoring, and searches are points of contention for many employees that need to be addressed in privacy policies. Employees argue that they have the right to personal privacy at work, but the limits to their privacy is compromised as more businesses take drastic measures to prevent theft and harassment.
Organizations are legally bound to provide a safe working environment for all of their employees which includes the corporate digital and cyberspace. The EEOC protects the rights of individuals from discrimination and harassment, regardless of ethnicity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc. An employee who feels threatened or uncomfortable by any statement, gesture, or action may be considered as experiencing harassment. Creating an anti-harassment policy that includes the the corporate digital and cyberspace, and implementing training in workplace harassment that addresssthese will help prevent harassment and protect the organization and the employee. Any harassment in the workplace needs to be confronted immediately and the rights of the harassed employee protected.
For training or consulting on mitigating cyberstalking or cybersecurity matters, contact us here.
Vicar Group LLC
Business Consultants for Generation YOU!
www.vicargroup.com
