How to Protect Your Privacy Laws in the Workplace

Privacy laws pertaining to the workplace are vague and fall under the rights to privacy that individuals are granted under the Privacy Act. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act covers workplace privacy concerns specifically. There are numerous state privacy laws that can be applied to workplace privacy.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access

Protect Your Privacy in the Workplace

1. Know that the Electronic Communications and Privacy Act (ECPA) is the only federal statute directly protecting the privacy rights of employees in the workplace concerning unauthorized tape and wire recording. Familiarize yourself with how it protects you by reading the full text provided by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S House of Representatives Web site (see Resources below).

2. Protect your personal phone conversations in the workplace by only making them on a personal mobile phone, pay phone or other third party phone. If personal calls on business phones are restricted, an employee risks being monitored.

3. Request a copy in writing of the workplace privacy rights adopted by your particular company. Information about what your company's policy determines is protected is important in assessing whether or not workplace privacy laws have been violated.

4. Contact a lawyer in your area to discuss your workplace privacy right concerns. A lawyer will be able to tell you about relevant state privacy laws which apply to your situation and how you can protect yourself.

5. Visit a workplace privacy advocacy group Web site, such as the ACLU (see Resources below). Call their Campaign for Fairness in the Workplace hotline at (800) 775-ACLU to receive materials to inform you about workplace privacy and places where you can write letters to government officials in support of strengthened workplace privacy laws.

6. Document all work-related privacy issues that could help explain how your rights protected under privacy laws have been violated. After a violation has occurred it may be too late to start compiling relevant documentation, so keep your own copy of what happens on the job for your protection.

Resources

• The Privacy Act of 1974
• ACLU