Surveillance In The Workplace: Balancing Employee Privacy And Business Security

The growing importance of cybersecurity requires employers to prioritize securing employees’ data. However, protecting employees’ privacy is equally important. This is especially true in a world where technology is accessible and theft is on the rise. The good news is that it’s possible to secure both privacy and insider threat risks at the same time.

1. Employees Have A Right To Privacy

Employers are subject to a wide range of labor laws that are meant to protect their employees’ rights and serve their best interests. These regulations include minimum wage laws, Fair Labor Standards Act provisions and workplace safety regulations. Employee privacy is an area that employers need to take into consideration when developing policies and procedures. There are different federal, state and local laws that govern privacy practices in the workplace. The key to balancing employee privacy and business security is a risk-based approach. This means evaluating and considering what data to collect, how it will be used and what your employees can expect.

2. Employees Have The Right To Access The Internet For Personal Reasons

Employers may wish to restrict internet access for non-work purposes. This can help to avoid wasteful time and over-clogged networks as well as reduce risks to company data. However, employers must balance these issues against the employees’ rights to free speech and privacy. This can be difficult and requires an employer to consider many factors when drafting a policy or system. One way to protect employees from their right of privacy is through written policies that place them on notice that they may not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in downloaded computer files. This could be done through an audit, inspection and monitoring of clickstream data (the aggregation of information as a Web user communicates with other computers or networks over the Internet).

3. Employees Have The Right To Use Company Equipment

Employees have the right to use company equipment for their personal purposes, as long as it doesn’t negatively affect the work of other employees. This includes things like computers, printers and cell phones. While this is a reasonable policy, it can also be an employer liability issue. If you allow your employees to work on their own vehicles, you can be held liable for any accidents that result from their actions. To reduce the risk of inadvertently violating privacy rights, it’s best to have clear policies about using company equipment for personal reasons. This way, you can ensure that employees are utilizing the equipment for their proper purposes and are not causing a loss in productivity or expense to your business.

4. Employees Have The Right To Be Anonymous

When employees have the opportunity to share feedback about their working experience, they feel like they are on the same page and contribute to a better workplace. They also want to feel safe in doing so. Employees often fear retaliation for reporting less-than-desirable aspects of the culture. By giving them a platform to express these concerns, anonymity erases that risk and gives them the confidence they need to take action. While there are state constitutions that grant privacy protections to employees in the public sector, private workers have fewer rights. In some cases, courts have ruled that employers may breach the privacy of private employees.

5. Employers Have The Right To Monitor Employee Activity

Employee monitoring is a common practice in many businesses. It can help companies monitor employees and identify rule-breakers, while also helping them reward those who are committed to the company. In the US, employee monitoring is legal if you have a legitimate business reason to do so. However, you must ensure that your monitoring methods are compliant with federal and state laws. Some privacy laws also require consent before employers can monitor employee private communications, such as emails and social media messages. In addition, the National Labor Relations Board has recently announced plans to limit workplace surveillance technologies that may run afoul of union and concerted activity protections.