Some people believe that the right of privacy should be extended to the workplace. Others feel that, on the contrary, that such an extension would constitute an unwarranted incursion into the management's right to manage.
Please comment on this debate, using examples from the text discussion of electronic monitoring, romance in the workplace, employee drug testing, and employee honesty testing.
Are there particular circumstances under which it is, or is not, appropriate for employers to monitor employee behavior? Discuss two (2).
Social Impact of Business BU360
Assignment 08,
Right of Privacy at Workplace
A right means someone is entitled to be treated in a certain way. In a relationship, if one party has a right, it confers duties for other party. In an employment relationship also, there are two parties- employees and employer. The employment relationship confers rights and duties to both parties. Right of privacy at workplace also confers some duties on employers. The right of privacy at workplace means protecting an employee’s personal life from unwarranted intrusions from employer.
An employer has fewer privacy rights at workplace than in their personal life. But still, an employee is entitled to certain rights of privacy at workplace. An employer must respect certain rights of employees at workplace. For example, an employee should have right of speech, right to interact with other employees etc. An employee should also have right of doing what he/she wants outside the workplace, as long as the act is not affecting the business of the employer. At the same time, employees also have some duties towards employer. For example, an employee should not use emails to send offensive messages. The employees should also not treat the property of organization for personal use. The employee should not abuse drug or alcohol so that employee’s productivity is not affected. The employees should not disclose confidential information to others outside the organization.
An employer needs to monitor the activities of employees at a workplace. For example, an employer monitors internet usage of employees and block inappropriate sites. An employer may also monitor email messages and files of the employees. The employers usually use software to monitor activities of employees at workplace. The employees protest monitoring by employers as it breaches their privacy. The employees feel that their religious and political views, credit history, communication, etc are their private matters and employer should not access such information. An employer may snoop only when employer’s interest is clearly affected.
On the other hand, employers oppose right of privacy at workplace, and justify monitoring of employee’s activities for a number of reasons. The employer pays employees for performing work at workplace. If employee uses internet for personal work at workplace, sends personal emails, chats with friends, or trade in stocks at workplace, this is not productive use of time. The inappropriate acts of employees also expose employer to the lawsuits. An employer is liable for wrongful acts of employees. For example, if an employee watches pornography at workplace, it may leave the employer open to a charge of sexual harassment. Employer is also worried to protect confidential information.
There is need to strike a balance. The employees should have right of privacy up to some extent at workplace. The employer should monitor employee’s activities and communication only when there is specific reason to do so. At the same time, the employees should also perform their duties honestly.
References
Anne T. Lawrence & James Weber (2014). Business & Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy (14th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Archie B. Carroll & Ann K. Buchholtz (2014). Business & Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management (9th Ed.). Ohio: South-Western College Pub.
