Employee Training Regarding Privacy Policies
Employees should have very little expectation of privacy for many of their activities at work. Employers have the right to monitor employees' work and communications, but also a duty to protect certain information. A sound privacy policy and good training will go a long way in resolving the tensions created naturally when employees believe that the boss is spying on them. Employees should be informed as part of their training that monitoring protects the company from litigation and assures security and workplace productivity. This training can be reinforced by posting policy in a visible area as well as by means of computer alerts, at login for example, that tells an employee that his activity can be monitored at any time.
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Start with a Policy
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Set employees' expectations early by securing their signature to a privacy policy on the first day of work and include it in their employee handbook. It should state that employees need to be aware that their activities on the computer, in the workplace, and while traveling on company business can be monitored and accessed at any time. It should spell out any disciplinary procedures in place to deal with violations of the policy. Company policy should also state that the company has an obligation to safeguard employee information, especially health care matters, which have an entire set of laws and regulations governing protection. Other laws dictate how employers notify employees if they've had a breach in security and employee data have been compromised. This information should be part of the privacy policy.
Technology
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Employees need to be trained to understand that they should have no expectation of privacy in using company-owned equipment. All communications created, received and transmitted on a company computer go through its servers, which can be monitored by numerous methods. This includes company-issued cell phones and pagers and covers call records and text messages. It also applies to company cars and GPS tracking technology. Companies can also use video surveillance in many areas where employees work.
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Personal Effects
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All company property, including offices, cubicles and lockers, are company property and are subject to searches. Employees may come to believe that their personal space belongs to them when that isn't the case. They should be apprised of the fact that although they may keep their personal possessions there, and may even lock them away, the company has the right at any time to unlock and search these spaces.
Intellectual Property/Company Information
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Employees should be regularly briefed on the need for securing information about the company, with whom it's doing business, its business practices and any other knowledge created by the company to help secure its place in the market. Employees might routinely visit social networking sites and blogs, and they may inadvertently reveal secret information. Thus, monitoring employees' computer usage as well as frequent online searches about specific employees have become standard operating procedures in today's business environment.
Personal Life
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An employee's medical conditions, family concerns, need for leave and other issues in her personal life that may affect her work attendance are, in fact, private. All employees should have a reasonable expectation to privacy in these matters, even when they may have to tell their supervisor or human resources personnel about a particular issue. Management, therefore, should be trained to keep a tight rein on office gossip and take immediate action against the disclosure of information about an employee's affairs outside the office.
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