Employee Handbook Part 2

Essay by ibkensterUniversity, Bachelor'sA, November 2007

download word file, 5 pages 3.0

In today's workplace privacy issues are a major concern to both the employer and its employees. This paper will address the issue of privacy in the global workplace and give suggestions on what privacy rights issues should be addressed, as well as what the company's position should be in response to its privacy rights. Also discussed is how privacy protections limit a company's liability and enhance employee motivation and productivity. This paper will also examine state, federal and international laws related to privacy and some of the ethical considerations to be addressed by employers.

Privacy issues and the company's response the privacy rightsThe majority of employees expect to have a certain amount of privacy in the workplace. Nevertheless, there are times where the employer may have a justifiable reason to monitor or investigate the employee's within its organization. The following provides some business practices that may be imposed to assure the honesty of the organization and the employees within the organization.

One privacy right that should be addressed is drug testing. "In a recent government study, 1 in 12 full-time American workers admitted to using illegal drugs within the last 30 days of participating in the survey" (Klein, 2007, p. 14). While controversial, legalized drug testing began on September 15, 1986, after President Regan signed into law Executive Order (EO) 12564. EO 12564, made it illegal for Federal employees to use illicit drugs even off duty (About.com, 2001). Employers have a right to insure that the work environment is free from illicit drug use. "Employers have the right to expect their employees not to be high, stoned, drunk, or asleep" (American Civil Liberties Union, n.d.). The bottom line is job performance, if you cannot do the job, employers can fire you for drug use (n.d.).

Another issue to be addressed...