Workplace Surveillance Essay

Submitted By writemeanessay
Words: 1843
Pages: 8
Open Document
Workplace Surveillance and Employee Privacy

Abstract

Businesses face rising liability with regard to employee use of electronic resources. To alleviate the risk of liability, companies must develop and implement a computer use policy outlining appropriate use of organizational electronic resources. This paper examines critical facets of computer use policies, clearly explaining the basis for the policy, applying the policy to all employees as well as all levels of the organization, and indicative of zero tolerance for harassing or discriminating communications. The final result of this paper will identify the implications of computer usage policy.

Introduction Employee surveillance and email monitoring in the workplace present a number of conflicting issues regarding an employer’s need to protect its property and itself against liability and employee’s right to privacy (Adams, Scheuing & Feeley, 2000). Do private businesses have the right to monitor employee communications? Rational business decision dictates it’s legally and ethically functional for the employer to produce a written workplace privacy policy. This should include monitoring of computer use, and the same time providing sufficient protections for employee privacy rights. This paper will provide guidelines for formulating a suitable computer-use policy. It will also identify the implications of such a policy.

Privacy and Privacy Regulation
Privacy has become an enormously significant part of American society after the aggressions of September 11, 2001. Existing fears over terrorism and homeland security have led to laws encouraging the decline of civil liberties and produce a society where everyone is continually under close watch of some kind. The Patriot Act enacted shortly after the terrorist attacks in 2001. This Act gives the government far-reaching power to look into a person’s personal life and communication at any rate of the medium used for the interactions (Sproule, 2002).
Privacy is defined as freedom from unauthorized intrusion.
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (EPCA) of 1986 prohibits the interception and disclosure of wire, oral, and electronic communications. It also protects stored wire, transactional, and electronic communications from being disclosed without permission. There are three exceptions to the ECPA that give employers a means of bypassing personal privacy rights. The “business exception,” allows a company to capture communication, if done in the regular course of business and using a capable device. The “consent” exception, states a company may monitor communication if at least one individual consents to the interception. Finally, the “service provider” exception states that a company providing electronic communications service may recover information maintained on that person’s system in order to guard the employer’s property rights. ECPA is the foundation upon which right to privacy cases regarding electronic communications in the workplace are judged.

Methods of Surveillance
Organizations should cautiously consider electronically monitor employee e-mails and Internet activities. There are delicate issues of trust and loyalty that should be attended to in order to safeguard the culture of the organization. Monitoring requires appropriate development, clear policies, and comprehensive procedures (Arendt, 2004). Both adversary and supporters of monitoring concur that organizations need comprehensible and definitive policies on electronic surveillance. These policies should be regularly and clearly communicated to employees. Employees should undergo formal training on e-mail and Internet policies, proper usage, and conduct Steps must be taken by managers and IT Departments alike to alleviate the risk involved in allowing employees unregulated access to the Internet and company email systems.
Email Monitoring
Supporters for e-mail monitoring maintain that employers must take proactive steps to
Show More

Related Documents: Workplace Surveillance Essay

Right To Privacy In The Workplace

the workplace. Today employers are using social media to see what their current employees do during their time off from work. Employers continue to do back ground checks on potential employees, and social media being one of the many ways they make their decision. Why should what people do when they aren’t working affect an employer? Employers monitor any communication in the workplace, this includes the use of the internet and monitoring phone calls, hidden cameras in the workplace, and…

Words 910 - Pages 4

Employee Surveillance Essay

Employee Surveillance Group members: Harris Affi Embry Kayla Cummings Catelyn Paukou Kouame Introduction Since the 21st century began, we have seen a tremendous rise in technology use within the workplace, including the use of; computers, cell phones, tablets, and televisions. With this big boom of technology comes great responsibility, especially in the workplace. Employers always want to make sure that their employees are working hard and doing what they are supposed to be doing, not going on social…

Words 543 - Pages 3

Surveillance and Legitimate Business Reason Essay

“Electronic Surveillance of Employees” 1) Explain where an employee can reasonably expect privacy in the workplace: There are very few areas in the workplace where an employee has a reasonable expectation of privacy. The safest location, without question, is in the content of the thoughts of the individual. If a thought is not written or voiced, it can not be intruded upon, twisted, or used as grounds for censure or termination. However…

Words 792 - Pages 4

Public Surveillance Impinging on Our Privacy and Assist for Crime Prevention Essay

PUBLIC SURVEILLANCE IMPINGING ON OUR PRIVACY AND ASSIST FOR CRIME PREVENTION In the modern world there have been a lot of technological advances within societies. Technology concerns about security and surveillance has changed the thoughts of people. This surveillance technology consist of spying video cameras, CCTV security and surveillance cameras, surveillance electronic communications, face recognition and many others. Some people think this technology is okay while others carry a different…

Words 1613 - Pages 7

Essay about e-commerce

Electronic surveillance in workplace Individual action can basically be described within the criterion of what is good or what is bad according to Stamatellos, G. personal ethics are values that influence the action of an individual. From the two theories of ethics utilitarianism and consequentialism individual action are based on outcomes. What is privacy? , how does it affect an individual, are they rules about how organization collects and share information. Information Technology has played…

Words 1591 - Pages 7

21st Century Technologies Surveillance Policy Guidelines

Technologies Surveillance Policy Guidelines IT500 Information Technology Dr. Robert Elliot Victoria Nagy TO: Human Resources From: Victoria Nagy President of 21st Century Technologies Re: Constructing a Surveillance Policy Date: January 25, 2015 This memorandum is in reference to the construction of companywide surveillance policy. A surveillance policy is critical within our organization for the purpose of protecting client data and our resources. The surveillance policy…

Words 1053 - Pages 5

Privacy In The Workplace

whether their staffs are abusing the trust given to them or not. With the help of affordable monitoring software, they can keep a close tab with the people they employ straightforwardly. Modern technologies are providing unprecedented opportunities surveillance. Not only they can monitor the e-mails sent and received by their employees effortlessly but also review the content of them. Same goes with reviewing the Internet usage and files stored in the computers. Employers can track down what kind of…

Words 295 - Pages 2

CIS109 Week 6 Assignment 1 Essay

versus privacy in the workplace. In my opinion I think that employees do not enjoy privacy while working on employer terminals or networks and that employer monitoring is an important protective measure for the organization. An employee’s rights to privacy in the workplace are a very controversial and legal topic, especially in an age where computers and electronics are relied on more and more to do business. Technology has allowed employers to monitor virtually all workplace communication made by…

Words 1106 - Pages 5

The Management Of Safety And Safety At Work Regulations

arrangements to make sure the health and safety of the workplace, including making arrangements for emergencies, adequate information and training for employees and for health surveillance when necessary. Health and safety work Act 1974 This is quite similar to the previous law however it places a responsibility on all employers to make sure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work" of all their employees. The Workplace Regulations 1992 These Regulations are mainly concerned…

Words 749 - Pages 3

Ethical Surveillance Paper

The focus of surveillance would be narrowed regarding circumstances with ethical relativism. Ethical relativism is the concept that moral absolutes do not exist or there are no moral rights and wrongs. Instead, the idea of right and wrong is based on social norms. Ethical relativism embraces the idea that morals have evolved and changed over time, and therefore are not absolute. The theory of ethical relativism centers on the circumstances surrounding a certain situation, rather than the common good…

Words 567 - Pages 3