ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF EMPLOYEES

Electronic Surveillance of Employees



Electronic Surveillance of Employees

Introduction

Technological advancement in recent time has made it possible for employers to scrutinize activities of their employees, via electronic surveillance. Though, employers are not only assessing the contribution and performance of employees, but also monitoring their complete activities (including moral and behavioral) during office timings. Surveillance are well-justified by the employers, as to avoid the leakage of any trade secretes as well as to determine the amount of time staff spend at their workstations. On the other hand, such strict surveillance at workplaces has increase concern among employees, that do they have any kind of privacy or not? Electronic surveillance is not only proven costly for the businesses but employees termed it as invasion in privacy. Observing the activities of employees is the right of the employer whereas; this erases the boundaries between privacy invasion and rightfully surveillance. Tremendous benefits can be availed if businesses would examine the activities with balance and proportionality. Actually, employers have a legitimate right to conduct surveillance for the organizational benefits and for purposes such as the detection of fraud and other crimes, the deterrence of criminality etc. but what defines their limit is another question. This study would attempt to answer several questions in this regard in accordance with the laws and ethics of business environment. (Williams, 2006)

Where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace?

Privacy laws for employees are limited, which enables employers to assault on the privacy of employees. Mostly employees blame their employers for privacy violation. Employers have right to conduct background checks, credit check, random drug testing, but it is wrong for an employer to barge into an employee's privacy, but electronic surveillance has made it hard to find any privacy for employees at workplace. Employees must have the right to make personal phone calls, the right of not tolerating sexual harassment, and the right to not answer any personal questions which are not related or concerned with work. (O'Shaughnessy, 2008) Workplaces can actually be of two types, one is an open area, where there are several desks and conversations can be overhead. Secondly an enclosed office, where one can feel that his conversation would not be heard and s/he would expect complete privacy behind closed doors. Employees need some privacy to some extent and it is also in the duty of employers left some space for privacy ...