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Ethical And Social Issues Of Surveillance In The Workplace

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The focus of this Extended Essay is to evaluate the problems that lie in the department of surveillance within the workplace. By definition, Surveillance is the use of IT to monitor the actions of people. For example, monitoring may be used totrack, record and assess employees’ performance. (“Surveillance”, 1.7, itgswikispaces, web, 2014). Social and Ethical issues are the primary problems that not only employees but also employers face with the topic of surveillance. The aim of this essay is to compare and look at the Ethical and Social issues that occur in the Information Technology industry, specifically the workplace in relation to surveillance of different forms. Types of surveillance CCTV monitoring (camera) is one of the …show more content…

Although this act was put in place, it does not specify to electronic communications in the workplace, therefore employee’s data is still at risk. There are grounds on which it can be justified that an employer is allowed to ‘intrude’ on an employee’s privacy. If the employer is a victim of an employee’s criminal offence, the employees use of social media networks and other non work related sites and cyber-bullying in the workplace. Workplaces differ with the rules and policies they put in place for their workers. Many have specific policies that allow their employees to use social media websites such as Facebook when they are on their lunch break, or given specified times and durations in which they are allowed to visit such sites. The employers have to ensure that they declare all their rules and restrictions in their contracts to the workers to prevent further problems down the road. There is also a code put in place for monitoring in Europe. The German Criminal Code Section 202a protects users against encrypted emails. If an employer wants to monitor their employees emails they have to get approval from the Works Council and each employee of the business. This code should be applied to all businesses that intend to monitor their employees. Policies also can possibly help the employee to perform better at their job. If the employee knows before hand that …show more content…

The employees will be concerned as to where these cameras are placed and how often they are being monitored. Some companies will also peruse through employees emails so as to prevent industrial espionage. Industrial espionage is the process of illegally and unethically obtaining confidential information from other companies. Many employees will feel that this is a serious invasion of privacy and may not agree with it. This resulted in the Wiretap Act 1968 being implemented into businesses that required monitoring of their employees emails and other technological forms of communication. Wiretapping involves intercepting or using a communication. It should be said that all employees are aware of this act and are informed as to what is allowed in terms of the monitoring of their devices. People will then begin to wonder if the workplace is the only place that they are being monitored. Surveillance in the workplace not only affects the employees while they are at their job, but also can leave long-term issues such as paranoia. They may continue to feel that they are being watched, and may therefore they may break down psychologically. This in turn, will result in them not being able to come to work, which ends up hurting the business. “The right to be let alone is the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.” Justice Louis Brandeis (1928). Taken

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Moreover, management should conduct privacy protocol training, so everyone is on the same page. The policy needs to state clearly the company’s rules about protecting customer’s personal data. Also, staff needs to know that there will be monitoring of phone calls and well as computer activity and emphasizes that per Muhl, (2003) “an employee’s personal use of an employer’s e-mail system and Internet access is not protected under the law.” Hence, organizations can encounter legal troubles due the inappropriate use of the system. The privacy of customer is important, and it needs protection.

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