Employer’s Rights and Limitations on Monitoring Employee Emails

The enhanced employment of technology in the places of employment has resulted in emerging concerns for both workers and employers. The concerns are on the area of privacy. Many companies progress to endorse the use of technology in the workplace due to its many advantages (Howard, 2006). For instance, the use of email incalculably reduces operating expenses via automation of human duties, eases communication on numerous levels, enhances the efficacy in almost all duties, facilitates geographic and business expansion, and less apparent, it can minimize business space and inventory needed to start a business. Because the use of the internet makes communication easier, it is not a must for a company to have offices for all employees. Those that opt to work from home can exchange information through company emails. Currently, compared to ten years ago, more employees have emails in their places of employment.

Employers have always supervised their employees in diverse manners to determine the quantity and quality of staff’s work. Because employers are in most instances legally responsible for their workers actions, they need to be certain that their employees are working accordingly. Many workers can access an array of hi-tech tools, like email to ease their duties. Employers need to be certain these manners of working do not result in extra liabilities. For instance, some employers have been held accountable for cases of sexual harassment, denouncement or breach of contract (Howard, 2006). This arises from exchange of information by employees through company emails. Technology also makes it easier to breach company security, confidential business data, or for companies to become fraud victims due to calculated acts by their employ...

... middle of paper ...

... Electronic Monitoring. Public Personnel Management, 26(2): 200-227.

Guerin, L. (2011). Employment Law: The Essential HR Desk Reference. California: Nolo.

Howard, G. (2006). Vetting and monitoring employees: A guide for HR practitioners. Aldershot, Hants, England: Gower.

Manning, C. R. (1997). Liberal and Communication Defenses of Workplace Privacy. Journal of Business Ethics, 6(8): 718-817.

Parent, A. W. (2002). Privacy, Morality and the Law. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 12(4): 250-269.

Rodrigues, A. I. (1998). Employee Email Privacy Rights in the Private Sector Workplace. Emory Law Journal, 47: 1439-1451.

Steingold, F. (2013). The employer's legal handbook: Manage your employees & workplace effectively. Berkeley, California: Nolo.

Weckert, J. (2005). Electronic monitoring in the workplace: Controversies and solutions. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publication.