Privacy Impact in the Workplace Article Summary Order Instructions: Research
Research and read a current article related to privacy in the workplace.

This can be a legal case in progress or settled, or it can be a feature article from a major publication.

NOTE: The article should have been published within the past three months (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS ARTICLE IS WITHIN THE PAST THREE MONTHS).

Write a 2–3 page summary of the article you read related to privacy in the workplace. Identify the legal impact of the information you researched and offer an opinion as to whether you believe this will continue to be an issue in the future. Provide a rationale to support your point of view and cite and reference the sources used in your research according to APA formatting guidelines.

Submit your Privacy Impact Article Summary paper in this assignment.

Privacy Impact in the Workplace Article Summary Sample Answer

Privacy Impact Article Summary

Allsop (2014) points out the existing tension between the rights of employers to gather information on the performance and conduct of employees and the rights of employees to privacy. There are methods of monitoring such as time clocks which have been accepted as an important feature in the workplace for a long time. Nevertheless, the contemporary forms of vetting, monitoring, and surveillance have bred controversy and presented challenges to the employer as to gathering surveillance on its workforce without breaching the rights of its employees and the legal obligations thereof.

There is legislation on privacy in the workplace as concerns monitoring and surveillance. The most prominent statutes are the Data Protection Act 1998, RIPA and the Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) Regulations 2000, and Article 8 ECHR as incorporated into English law by the Human Rights Act 1998. The Data Protection Act provides for the air and a lawful procession of personal data, as regards the methods by which the data is obtained. RIPA and the Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 provides that all surveillance and monitoring that intrudes into a person’s privacy should be subject to consent and/or notification.  Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides for an individual’s right to respect for his private and family life, his home and correspondence. This insinuates that monitoring and surveillance of employees amounts to the violation of privacy rights under Article 8 of the ECHR (Allsop, 2014).

Monitoring employees is always taken to be intrusive. The law tries to ensure that employees have legitimate expectations that their personal lives can remain private and that they have a right to a degree of privacy at work. Employers who intend to monitor their employees should come out clearly on the purpose of the monitoring and they should also show that the chosen monitoring arrangement is capable of delivering real benefits. It is also a legal requirement for employers to provide employees with information as to the nature of the surveillance, its extent and the reasons thereof. This is because their awareness will have a significant impact on their expectations (Allsop, 2014).

The legal issues raised on privacy at the workplace is relevant because it tries to strike a balance between the employer’s right to carry out surveillance in the workplace and at times outside of the workplace and the rights of employees to privacy. Thus, to keep pace with technological developments and the law, it is important for an employer to update employment contracts and policies to ensure that the employees are aware of the nature and extent of monitoring, and the legitimate interests that the employer has endeavored to protect. In all cases, employers need to conduct an impact assessment, and where there is a consideration for covert monitoring, there should be a clear audit trail to show that it was subject to conscientious decision making at the higher level of management. Employers should also carry out monitoring and surveillance to the minimum extent necessary for the achievement of the employer’s aims (Allsop, 2014).

The legal reasons for limitation of monitoring and surveillance of employees at the workplace are in line with the protection of employee’s privacy which can easily be lost in this information age and it can be harmful to the employee. Hence, all levels of management and non-management employees should fully understand and appreciate the ethical implications of their decisions and actions as relates to personal and professional values. Employers, on the other hand, should always make decisions that are less intrusive to employees’ privacy.

Privacy Impact in the Workplace Article Summary Reference

Allsop, J. (20 October, 2014). I Spy…Issues raised by the surveillance of employees. Jordan Publishing. Retrieved from: http://www.jordanpublishing.co.uk/practice-areas/law-for-business/news_and_comment/i-spy-issues-raised-by-the-surveillance-of-employees#.VHMa3mc-2t_