Employee Privacy in the Workplace

Employee Privacy Rights in the Workplace

Brandy Workman

COM110

For many years, there has been an ongoing fight between employers and employees pertaining to

employee rights. The main thing that they have fought about is computer and email monitoring.

Many employees don't seen to understand exactly employers do this.

Employers monitor email accounts and company computers mainly for two reasons. Reason one is that they don't want their employees wasting company time for personal use. In most places, that is considered a very good reason, because if an employee is using company time for personal things, then work isn't being done. Then it causes problems for everyone. Reason two is that employers want to make sure that employees aren't doing anything illegal through either email or other internet sites.

Okay, that's understandable. So why do employees still get so upset? Employees believe that an employer has no business prying into their private life, even at work. Many others believe that employers don't have any excuse to monitor, because they can have their ISP set up automatic blocks on the internet before employees even get to use it.

Another major issue that many employees and employers have is employee health problems and the workplace. It has now gotten to the point where many employers are now telling employees that if they are basically not healthy, they either are fired or will not be able to be employed through their company. The main health topic? Smoking.

Employers are telling employees that they need to kick the habit, or they will be fired. They have even gone to the extent of testing employees to make sure there is no tobacco in their system. Why? Health insurance costs. The more employees that smoke, the more an employer pays for insurance. And there some instances in which some employers do not like smokers or are health nuts, so they want their workplace smoke free.

Employees, of course, are furious, and they think it should be illegal. "Your boss has no business telling you what to do in your own house."(Maltby, L. 2005) And employees do have a good point. "These