Presented by Beang Tong ENGL393, Spring’03 “How Technology Is Changing Privacy Issues in the Workplace” -By Julie Cook Presented by Beang Tong ENGL393, Spring’03

Introduction How the technology is changing The idea of a government spying is nothing new The technology has made the intrusions much easier and more ubiquitous Spying is a lot easier than it used to be: An employer had to hire a private investigator for eavesdropping on employee’s phone call Employer can eavesdrop just with the push of a button on the phone

Introduction (cont.) The number of employees subject to some form of surveillance in the workplace has been increased from 8 million to 30 million Americans on surveillance within 1991 and 1999

Yes, you are being watched! More than 89 percent of Americans fear being watched in their workplace 35 percent of companies monitor their employees during working hours More employers are using devices of reviewing, videotaping, or eavesdropping on their workplace There is no federal law designed to protect their employees’ privacy while at work

No legal precedence…yet Companies are hesitant to monitor employees in workplace because of the fear of lawsuits and employment law revolution A company has to consult with a lawyer on some policy or method of surveillance Monitoring polices are useful in different situation: To be clear about the use and misuse of company property To inspect and monitor as needed when employees are using company property

The obvious, up-front approach Avoid lawsuits by taking the hidden surveillance approach to employee monitoring Guess Inc. has videotaped actions of the company employees for more than five years The cameras were put into place to prevent, but are useful in many ways Provide more protection or safety in employees environment Discover worker’s compensation fraud Catch employees using illegal substances on their lunch hour

Caught in the act Lessened the percentage of employees committing worker’s compensation fraud Guess Inc. has saved approximately $20 million in worker’s compensation claims Decreased workplace theft Improved safety record Employer should wait until a situation arises to monitor employees actions rather than having surveillance devises permanently in place

The security check is in the mail 62 percent of companies prepare written e-mail polices 83 percent of those written polices prohibit sexual or other inappropriate e-mails 67 percent defined disciplinary procedures for those who disregard policy guidelines More companies may develop written polices, but without controls in place to monitor or screen the e-mails going or out, policies are still worthless

A warning that works Notify employees that they are not allowed to send personal email by using company resources during business time A Premium Financing Specialists in Kansas city, Missouri, was sending 50 to 70 personal messages every Friday afternoon Employees were told not to get mail from their friends or communicate with their parents Get your own Internet account at home!

Conclusion I prefer companies using videotaping or monitoring employees at workplace.

The end