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Employees Privacy People Information Employers Questions Workplace One's

Id ESLPod_0820_CN
Episode Id ESLPod 820
Episode Title Performing Poorly at Work
Title Employee Privacy Rights
Text

There have always been many questions "surrounding" (around; about) people's right to "privacy" (the state of having secrets or independence, without other people knowing too much about oneself), and particularly in the "workplace" (where people work). How much information should "employers" (organizations that offer jobs to people) be "entitled" (allowed and expected) to have about their employees? Such questions have become increasingly important and complex with the "rise" (increasing use) of computers in the workplace, as many employees use their "work computers" (computers provided by one's employer for one's job) for a mixture of personal and business use.

In general, employees have to "relinquish" (give up; agree not to have) some of their privacy in the workplace, because employers have a right to know whether their employees are working as they are supposed to. But does that mean that employers can closely "monitor" (observe; watch) what their employees do throughout the day? Should employers be allowed to listen to and "record" (make a copy of) employees' phone conversations and read their employees' emails?

Workplace "surveillance" (the use of video cameras to see what people are doing) sometimes leads to "disciplinary actions" (punishments) and even "termination decisions" (decisions to fire employees). Sometimes employees "challenge" (fight against; argue against) those actions and decisions in court, arguing that the way the employer gathered the information was a violation of the employees' right to privacy. Courts are still trying to "sort out" (deal with a lot of information and organize it to find a solution or answer) the details in balancing employees' right to privacy and employers' right to monitor their employees.

Topics Business

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