Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring

Fact Sheet 7Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring

Employers want to be sure their employees are doing a good job, but employees don't want their every sneeze or trip to the water cooler logged. That's the essential conflict of workplace monitoring.

New technologies make it possible for employers to monitor many aspects of their employees' jobs, especially on telephones, computer terminals, through electronic and voice mail, and when employees are using the Internet. Such monitoring is virtually unregulated. Therefore, unless company policy specifically states otherwise (and even this is not assured), your employer may listen, watch and read most of your workplace communications.

Read our guide to learn more about workplace privacy issues.

Employment Background Checks: A Jobseeker's Guide

Fact Sheet 16Employment Background Checks:
A Jobseeker's Guide

Background reports can range from a verification of an applicant's Social Security number to a detailed account of the potential employee's history and acquaintances. There is even some evidence that employers are now searching popular social networking Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook for the profiles of applicants. This guide explains the why and how of background checks. It also tells you what can be covered in a background report, your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and what you can do to prepare.

Employment Background Checks in California: New Focus on Accuracy

Fact Sheet 16aEmployment Background Checks in California:
New Focus on Accuracy

Criminal Records and Getting Back into the Workforce: Six Critical Steps for Ex-offenders Trying to Get Back into the Workforce (Rosen)

For an ex-offender, a job search can become a frustrating Catch-22. Nearly every employment application will ask in some fashion if a person has a criminal record. If a person lies, then they are always at risk of being terminated upon such a criminal record being discovered. If a person is honest and admits the past misconduct, there is a risk of not getting the job.

Online Privacy FAQ

Fact Sheet 18aOnline Privacy FAQ

Can employers monitor your email at work?  How can you get your information removed from websites like Zabasearch and PeopleFinders?  What can you do if someone is pretending to be you on social networking sites like Myspace and Match.com? 

This FAQ answers some of the questions we are often asked by individuals who contact us concerning online privacy and safety.  Learn what you can do to protect your personal information when you use the Internet.

The Tradeoff between Privacy and Openness in Employment Screening

We have heard from several individuals who have described their experiences with background checks that retrieve wrongful criminal records. Even after they have informed the employer that the background report is in error, they've learned that it's too late. The employer has moved on to another applicant, or perhaps is so risk-averse that the employer does not want the hassle of dealing with someone with a tarnished record, even though it's erroneous.

Groups Warn of Privacy Risks in Employment Screening

Terrorist threats, workplace violence, and reported abuse of vulnerable segments of the population have contributed to a dramatic increase in criminal records checks. Advances in technology have also made criminal history checks faster, less expensive, and easy to obtain from a variety of sources.

Existing problems in the employment screening process - particularly with accuracy - can lead to chronic unemployment or dismissal from a longstanding job. The job applicant or employee has virtually no rights to have an adverse decision reconsidered, even when decisions are based on inaccurate information. Any standards for access by private employers and commercial data vendors must go beyond the current requirements of the FCRA.

Prevent Identity Theft with Responsible Information-Handling Practices in the Workplace

Experts in identity theft report that an increasing number of cases can be traced back to dishonest employees in the workplace who obtain the sensitive personal information of employees and customers and disclose it to identity thieves. One of the keys to preventing identity theft, therefore, is to safeguard personal information within the workplace, whether it's a business, government agency, or nonprofit. Targets for identity thieves include SSNs, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, PINs, passcodes, and dates of birth.

Prevent Identity Theft with Responsible Information-Handling Practices in the Workplace

Discussions on preventing identity theft often focus on steps consumers can take, such as shredding their trash and restricting access to their Social Security number (SSN). But realistically, while such measures can reduce the odds of becoming a victim, there is little individuals can do to actually prevent identity theft. The keys to prevention are two-fold, involving the credit industry and the workplace:

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