Week 12 Individual Assignment MAN 5066

Week 12 Individual Assignment
Employee Privacy in the Workplace
Katrina D. McAllister
April 5, 2015
MAN 5066 Managerial Ethics
Professor Patricia Paulikens

Employee Privacy

Privacy can be defined in many terms; however they all mean the same thing. Privacy means that there are certain guidelines to follow that determine what personal information can and can’t be shared and with whom. Employee privacy rights include their personal information and any other activities at work. Companies that work in a private sector have some legal obligations to their employees however; they can dictate many of the employee’s privacy rights.
Polygraph
The polygraphs can be used as a preventative tool; however, I do not think the results will be recognized by the courts. However, the employer may be able to use the results as cause for termination if the employee failed. The fact of polygraph use in management varies on the business. However, I do believe that the staff should be informed at the time of employment that they may at some point be required to take a polygraph test, that way the candidate can make the decision if they want to work for that organization or not.
Integrity
According to the readings in this week, the two major arguments for and against integrity (honesty) testing by employers are that they are intrusive and invade privacy by the nature of their inquiries. Integrity tests are also considered to be unreliable. Managers argue that integrity tests help them to weed out the bad employees; however, it may also make them miss out on a very good potential employee. The managers also argue that the test should help to reduce worker compensation claims.

Technology and Privacy
Technology has allowed employers to be able to monitor their employees without being present or standing over the employees while they perform their tasks. Employers can monitor their activities through cameras and listening devices. Organizations are also recording employees phone calls, voice mails, they have access to their computer files, monitor Web access and most important, they are even videotaping them.
World Trade Center Tragedy
Years after the terrorist attacks 9 11 the leaders of our country, and the American citizens are searching for a way to balance the security and the privacy of our country. There have been programs within the National Security Agency created to analyze the internet and communication data that is generated by millions of Americans. Our country now has heightened the awareness of their surroundings that is mostly attributed to the concerns over terrorism. A lot of Americans are very pleased to make sacrifices for security and feel that giving up their privacy is a price that we have to pay in order to be safe.
Federal Discrimination Laws
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964), protects men and women from sex based wage discrimination (Equal Pay Act of 1963), protects individuals 40 years of age or older (Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967), prohibits employment discrimination against disable individuals (Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990), prohibits employment discrimination based on genetic information (Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008), provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination (Civil Rights Act of 1991). For instance; if two employees applied for the same position and one had a disability, however but was more qualified and a female but was not considered for the position because of her gender and her disability this would be a case of discrimination based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Conclusion
Employers have the right to read your email, monitor social networking posts; they even have the right to put up surveillance cameras in the workplace. However, knowing your rights as an employee is very important, because you have a right to know if your rights as an employee are being violated. Employees should have specific rights to privacy in the workplace.

References
1. Buchholtz, C. (2011). Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.
2. Hamel, G. & Media, D. (2015) Definition of Workplace Privacy, Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/definition-workplace-privacy-15419.html

References: 1. Buchholtz, C. (2011). Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning. 2. Hamel, G. & Media, D. (2015) Definition of Workplace Privacy, Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/definition-workplace-privacy-15419.html