Surveillance of employees raises a host of privacy concerns and potential liability for employers. Thus, employers should be sure to exercise additional caution when it comes to monitoring sensitive or private information in the hands of employees. This word of caution is especially important in today's changing landscape of information sharing through the integration of technology in the workplace.
In addition to combating employee theft and espionage, many employers feel that surveillance of employees can not only be an effective tool to combat such things as employee espionage and theft, but also can improve employee productivity and efficiency. Opponents, however, maintain that computer and electronic monitoring wrongfully intrudes into employee privacy. There is no question that electronic surveillance is more intrusive than human monitoring because employees can be watched at all times, sometimes in complete secrecy.
Employers should be aware of all applicable federal and state laws – and understand that privacy is constantly evolving – when formulating policies regarding employee monitoring. Employers should also be mindful that monitoring policies may ultimately hurt employee productivity. An employee who thinks that his employer has unfairly invaded his or her privacy is more likely to seek a lawyer, pursue litigation, or...
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