 Case study

 Conflicts over Privacy in the Workplace

There is tension between companies and their employees over privacy in the workplace. Some
companies track employees via company-issued GPS-enabled smart phones and monitor
employees’ behavior through social networking sites such as Face book and Twitter. Currently,
there are no laws preventing companies from monitoring and tracking employees. Companies
believe not monitoring these platforms leaves them vulnerable to misconduct. For instance, the
Internet increased the number of distractions in the workplace, and some employees may spend
up to 30 percent of their time at work using social media sites for non-work purposes. On the
other hand, employees argue they have a right to their privacy. They see tracking as a clear sign
that their employers do not trust them. Another major argument is that employers with access to
employee social media sites or Smartphone might be able to monitor employee activity outside
the workplace.
Where is the line drawn on ensuring employees are working appropriately
versus their rights to privacy?

 Companies should have the right to track employees through company smart phones and
monitor their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts.
 Employees should be able to maintain their personal privacy and not be tracked through
their company smart phones or their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

 Solution:

Without their employees a company cannot exist, Employees are the important resources of
organization.’’ taking care of your workers with respect is not only something they justify it is
essential for a company’s maintenance hard work. When the employers paying wages or salary in
time to employees. Then they have authority to observe the employees to stay away from any
misbehavior and for the reasons of security issues. Employers can officially observe almost
anything an employee does at work as long as the reason for monitoring is important enough to
the business. But there should be some boundaries for monitoring employees with respect of
privacy.

 Ways for monitoring employees:

1. Ethical ways of monitoring

2. unethical ways of monitoring an employee

 Explanation:

Now we will explain both the ways in detail for monitoring the employees
  Ethical ways

o Inform employees reasons for monitoring:

Tell your employees what you’re monitoring and why. Give them the break to proffer feedback.
Share the results of the monitoring with them and, crucially, provide a system by which they can
appeal decisions about their career influenced by the data collected. Transparency increases
employee acceptance rates. Gartner create that only 30% of human resources were comfortable
with their employer monitoring their email. But in the same study, when an employer shared that
they would be monitoring and explained why, more than 50% of workers reported being
comfortable with it.

o Avoid over or extra monitoring:

Employees are your most valuable assets. Treating your employees with respect is not only
something they deserve it’s crucial for a company’s retention efforts. If your company does choose
to move ahead with surveillance software in this climate, you need to remind yourself that you are
not the police. You should be monitoring employees not with a raised baton, but with an
outstretched hand.

o Check your own system first:

Central to any company’s diversity and inclusion effort is a commitment to eliminating any
discrimination against traditionally marginalized populations. Precisely because they have been
marginalized, those populations tend to occupy more junior roles in an organization and junior
roles often suffer the most scrutiny. This means that there is a risk of disproportionately shriveling
the very groups a company’s inclusivity efforts are designed to protect, which invites significant
ethical, reputational, and legal risks.
If employee monitoring is being used, it is important that the most junior people are not shriveled
to a greater extent than their managers, or at least not to an extent that places special burdens on
them.

o Variance in level of motivation:

These are unique times and it would be wrong both ethically and factually to make decisions
about who is and who is not a good employee or a hard worker based on performance under these
conditions. Some very hard-working and talented employees may be stretched extraordinarily thin
due to a lack of school and child care options, for instance. These are people you want to keep
because, in the long run, they provide a tremendous amount of value. Ensure that your supervisors
take the time to talk to their supervisees when the numbers aren’t what you want them to be. And
again, that conversation should reflect an understanding of the employee’s situation and focus on
creative solutions, not threats.
  Unethical ways:

o Secretly monitor employees activities:

The number one monitoring practice is considered unethical, and in most cases even illegal, is
‘’monitoring employees without their knowledge or consent’. This practice is considered legal
when employers are suspecting malpractice, and want to catch employees red-handed. However,
if companies simply want to keep an eye on their employees without telling them, they could
face serious consequences.

o Documentation of employees:

Most employee monitoring software comes equipped with a screenshot feature, while some of
the more intrusive ones will even allow you to record screen or keystrokes on your employees’
computers. Even though screenshots serve as proof of work, taking them at a wrong time (when
your employees are browsing social media, their bank accounts, etc.) means you would be
collecting personal data you don’t want to have.

o After work employee monitoring:

After-hours monitoring has become a bigger issue in the current remote working environment.
It’s not uncommon for employees to use their business laptops for personal matters while they’re
on a break or once their shift is over. If you’re using the monitoring software during these hours,
you could potentially record sensitive personal data that could legally implicate you

 “Conclusion”
All the above discussion reveals that employees are the assets of a company so taking care of
employees needs, respect their opinion, respect their privacy as well and timely wages are
the main rights of the employee that the company have to fulfill but the company have a
main right to monitor their employees in an ethical manner