...Employee Privacy Report Introduction Using e-mail, the Internet, and privacy policies at an organization is partially what an employee does daily. Properly using the Internet, e-mail and privacy policies is the responsibility of each staff member. Although staff used e-mails to communicate with employees as well as research the Internet for information related to the job, one would expect for certain information to remain private; however, it does not occur like this all the time. Businesses have in place policies where they have the right to observed employees activities during job. While it is important for employees to be mindful of their companies’ policies, it is more important to know that employers have the responsibility to ensure that their employees have been properly inform and made aware of these policies. When an employer provide an employee with a copy of the companies handbooks, the handbook should address such issues as electronic communication and Internet use while on company computers. Additionally, most companies policies states, whether “internet use and communication … are considered part of the company’s business” and “such communication are not to be considered private or personal to any individual employee.” However, some company’s policy also provides, that “occasional personal use is permitted” (Gavejian). What are the e-mail use, Internet use, and privacy policies at your job? Law allows employing organizations to monitor business...
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...Employee Privacy Report The need for businesses and organizations to access the internet has brought about several concerns regarding employee privacy while emailing and surfing the internet at the workplace. Each employee is given access to company issued computers and equipment, and consider his individual email messages and internet browsing to be private. In most organizations, security controls, such as passwords, are used to ensure privacy; however, the internet systems managers still have access to employees’ activities. Employees usually do not realize that these security measures are intended to prevent unauthorized access to his computer and files, not to invoke control over the employees. POLICY IMPLIMENTATION Organizations can review the following guidelines when developing or improving the company’s existing policies: • Policies should be properly discussed and reviewed with management and employees. • Policies should specify what activities will not be tolerated within the workplace. • Policies should specify what accessed information is kept in a log and who in the chain of command will have access to this log. • Proper computer and internet security policies should be set in place and reviewed with all employees and management. • Policies should address how the organization will be monitoring employee compliance with these policies. • Regular review of stated policies will allow the organization to make the necessary changes to keep pace with...
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...Employee Privacy Report University of Phoenix COMM285/ Business Communication September, 10th 2011 Date: September 10th, 2011. To: H. Dixton Re: Monitoring practices for Computers use, Internet, e-mail, and company Privacy Policies at O & R Fashion Inc. O& R Fashion Incorporated implemented new regulations to its current company privacy policy to regulate and monitor its employees’ e-mail and internet practices. The Internet use, electronic mail, and employee privacy policies needed to be reevaluated so employees can comply with company formal policies, regulations, procedures and because in the past our company’s managerial staff experienced many unresolved issues with employees due to their uncertainty to how to implement our policies. As a result O & R Fashion Incorporated with the association of its HR services developed an updated policy manual to monitor emails, and Internet access, however; providing the appropriate balance between company’s rights and employee’s privacy rights. The new changes and implementations to our existing privacy policies will reduce or even avoid misunderstandings or any similar situations in the future. This report was completed to explain the new implementations regarding emails usage, and Internet practices within our company and the reasons why O & R Fashion Incorporated decided to implement them. This report will also address some of the employees’ assumptions regarding such policies, how employees are affected by...
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...Karen Saucedo Week 5 Individual Assignment Employee Privacy Report COMM 285 June, 13 2011 Just about every business these days runs off of using the internet and email. Whether it is to communicate with people within the office, or people on the other side of the world, email is usually the main source of communication. Just about every company has their own policies on how their employees can use the internet, some companies have a very limited policy, while other companies are very strict, and certain usage can lead up to termination. It is important to make sure there is a policy in place to make sure the company has leverage when it comes to any illegal use, and aside from that, I am sure businesses do not want to pay their employees for doing non work related things on the internet. Currently, I am a stay at home mom, so there is no policy in place for my internet usage but it has not always been that way. I used to work in the billing division of a transportation company where I had to use the computer, internet, and email in order to effectively do my job. I needed to be able to communicate with other companies as well as co-workers within my office. I also needed to have access to the telephone to communicate with drivers out on the road. The policies there were not very strict but certain websites were blocked from being used. We were not able to access social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace. Aside from that, we were able to responsibly use the...
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...Week Five – Employee Privacy Act Report Jessica Jackson COM/285 Timothy Smith June 20, 2012 Employee Privacy Report In this report I will be discussing the current privacy policies at Abacus Technology Corporation. I will be going over the policies that Abacus Technology has in place regarding e-mail use and internet use. As well as reviewing the current laws that the State of Maryland has regarding employee e-mail and internet privacy. I will also be discussing why companies implement e-mail and internet use policies. Lastly, I will be covering what assumptions employees might make about their privacy at work and how the policies that are in place can affect an employee’s privacy at work. At Abacus Technology electronic communication such as e-mail and internet use is encouraged, however, electronic communications are considered company property and their purpose is only to be used for company business. The policy on electronic communication relates to all electronic media and services, which are accessed using company computer equipment, while on company premises, or by company-paid access methods, and used in a manner which identifies the individual with the company. Employees are not supposed to use electronic communications for excessive personal use, soliciting non-company business, and conducting activities that are illegal or contrary to the firm’s best interest. Individuals are also asked not to access criminal websites or transmit...
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...Employee Privacy Report • Write a 1,050- to 1,200-word report addressing e-mail, Internet use, and privacy policies. Answer the following questions in your report: o What are the e-mail use, Internet use, and privacy policies at your job? The email policy at my job at the Florida Foundation for Families (hereinafter “FFF”) are that work email is strictly to be used for work purposes and not for personal use. The policy is covered in our Employee Handbook, and states that the rationale for the policy is that we should only be working during work time, and that if we were to use work email for private use, it could expose the company to internet threats that would otherwise be easily avoidable. For instance, if we were to use email for private use and were to open an attachment that contained a virus, we could potentially jeopardize the entire system’s network. During our break periods and lunch we are allowed to use private email accounts, but we are likewise instructed not to open any attachments on our work computers in order to avoid the same threat that would be posed by using our private email accounts for such purposes. Like our email policy, the internet is supposed to only be used for work purposes as well, however, since work purposes aren’t strictly defined there is definitely more leeway in how we can use the internet, since we could be looking at an article in an online magazine or newspaper that’s work related. We are still forbidden from using any...
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...Employee Privacy Report Name COM/285 August 7, 2010 Instructor Employee Privacy Report Introduction The right to privacy is an inherent expectation of all citizens; however, the private citizen should not assume that he or she is afforded the same privacy protections at their place of employment. In fact, employees may find themselves more vulnerable. Other then the constitutional and legal requirements, employers have more latitude when it comes to delving into matters that some employees would otherwise consider personal and private. Therefore, it is important for employees to be aware of his or her privacy rights in the workplace, including policies regarding use of e-mail and Internet. Email and the Internet undoubtedly has revolutionized the way the entire world communicates. The irony is this technology erodes the expectation of privacy because users expose themselves to personal identity theft and it proliferates illegal and malicious activities such as child pornography; harassment; cyber attacks on personal and business networks; and attempts to steal intellectual property. All of this comes with a personal, legal, and financial cost, especially for businesses. Therefore, to protect themselves from legal action and monetary damages, it is necessary for businesses to implement policies that govern the appropriate use of their electronic systems. A Real-World Example of Email use, Internet use, and Privacy policies To demonstrate existing...
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...Business Communication Trends Paper COM/285 Jan Professor Business Communication Trends Paper Business communication plays an important role, as it facilitates effective communication at the workplace, which helps the business and the organization as a whole to gain success. Business Communication provides the managers at the workplaces to effectively and efficiently coordinate with all the aspects and fields of the business. It is an effective tool that enables the managers at the workplaces to accomplish the goal of the business. Effective business communication has become prerequisite for the organizations, in order to flourish and to prosper in the present business world (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Working as a US ARMY career counselor, business communication plays a very important role in managing the daily tasks at my workplace. Effective communication facilitated by it, enables the organization to promote and communicate the applicants and the public about the new option or services. This effective communication with the applicants and coworkers has a major impact upon the applicants enlisting the US ARMY. Not only, have other organizations benefited from utilizing Business communication by promoting their product and their services, but, Business communication has also enabled the customers to tell their demands to the organization. Thus, business communication helps in establishing a two-way effective communication between the customers and the organization...
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...Employee Privacy Report, 1 Employee Privacy Report October 10, 2011 Com/285 University of Phoenix at Axia College Employee Privacy Report, 2 My employer gives every employee a copy of the employee handbook on the day of employment. The handbook is also available on the intranet for easy access and employee use. Included in the handbook is a section on the email use, internet use, and privacy policy that may be updated occasionally as policies and regulations change. Being employed by a financial institution these things are imperative to follow and can result into harsh consequences if they are not abided by. Our policy states that email is only to be used by the employee and should be password protected. Emails are only for work related purposes only. The policy also states that all member sensitive information that is emailed to any external recipient must be encrypted with a password for the members best interest. Internet usage according to policy should only be used for work related purpose as well. It does state in the policy that employees may use the internet for personal purpose when they are not clocked in which would be during breaks and before/after shifts. Gambling, pornography, and chat sites are unauthorized and should never accessed using the company’s internet. Any other sites that are not authorize will appear with a ACCESS DENIED message and it must be reported to your supervisor. The supervisor that...
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...procedure was designed to be used solely for business purposes. In many instances employees have been made to feel as if their privacy has been invaded. Upon implementing such practices employers and employees both have a need to be knowledgable of any policies permitting the use of monitoring devices and to know their rights. Research The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) is the only federal statute that offers workers protections in communications privacy. ECPA prohibits the intentional interception of electronic communications. However, the ECPA contains loopholes that facilitate employee monitoring. First, employers are permitted to monitor networks for business purposes. This enables employers to listen in on employee phone calls or to view employees' e-mail. Employers may not monitor purely personal calls, however, in order to determine that a call is personal, employers usually have to listen to portions of the employee's conversation. Second, an employer may intercept communications where there is actual or implied employee consent. Consent has been found where the employer merely gives notice of the monitoring. An example of a case in which the courts ruled in favor of the employee: Stengart v. Loving Care Agency, Inc. New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds Privacy Claims. The New Jersey Supreme Court considered whether the former employee – Ms. Stengart – had...
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...defines an employment relationship in which either party can immediately terminate the relationship at any time with or without any advance warning and with no subsequent liability, provided there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship and that the employer does not belong to a collective bargaining group. In USA, any hiring is presumed to be “At-Will” that is the employer is free to discharge individuals for good cause or bad cause or no cause at all and the employee too is equally fit to quit, strike or otherwise cease work. In this assignment in capacity of the Chief operating Officer of the company, I would like to address some of the personnel problems that require immediate attention before the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of the company. Scenario 1.In this scenario John’s action of posting a negative statement on Facebook is truly unprofessional and unethical. According to the National Labour Relations Board, criticism by the employee over social networking sites is a protected activity that employers should not violate by punishing workers for such statements. Hence it prohibits employers to retaliate against employees for communicating with each other online or in person. John cannot be legally fired. This action will surely impact the operations of the company, and hence to limit the liability and impact on the company as a COO of the company I would simply organise a training to revive the code of ethics and conduct for the...
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...Week Five Reports and Presentations • Identify skills needed to deliver effective oral presentations. • Create a written report. Course Assignments 1. Readings • Read this week’s Weekly Overview. • Read Ch. 15–17 of Business and Administrative Communication. • Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. 2. Individual Assignment: Employee Privacy Report • Write a 1,050- to 1,200-word report addressing e-mail, Internet use, and privacy policies. • Answer: o What are the e-mail use, Internet use, and privacy policies at your job? o What are the current laws regulating employee e-mail and Internet privacy? o Why do companies implement e-mail and Internet use policies? o What assumptions might employees make about their privacy at work? How do these policies affect employee privacy at work? 3. Individual Assignment: Final Examination • Resource: Business and Administrative Communication • Click the link to the Final Examination on your student website available from the end of Week Four through the end of Week Five. • Complete the Final Examination. You are allowed one attempt to complete the exam, which is timed and must be completed in 3 hours. Results are auto-graded and sent to your facilitator. Note. Final Examination questions are adapted from the text. 4. Learning Team Assignment: Oral Presentation • Create a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation on the subject of oral presentation best practices. o...
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...Corporate Governance 17 July 2011 1. Explain where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace. Reasonable expectation of privacy for an employee could require a balancing test as what the US District Court judge used in the 1996 case of Michael A. Smith v. The Pillsbury Company. The judge ruled in the defendants favor saying that Pillsbury’s “interest in preventing inappropriate and unprofessional comments or even illegal activity over the email system outweighed any privacy interest the employee may have in those (email) comments”,( Halbert 2011, p.72). In this case, it was more important for Pillsbury to know what communication was going out through its email system than it was to protect Mr. Smith’s privacy. Consequently, where an employee expects to have reasonable privacy depends on the employers’ own policy within the workplace. The policies need to be clear and easily accessible to the employee. Many US companies would have their policies posted on their internal websites where an employee can review them at anytime. The information normally spells-out that any use of company facilities or equipment garners the right for that employer to monitor it at any time. This could include their email system, voicemail system, company phone, company car, etc. To be honest, I think arguably the places where an employee can expect reasonable privacy are within a more enclosed areas. One of the most enclosed...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper The journal article that I chose is about a case of privacy and confidentiality of health care employees in New Zealand and not the United States. Its relevancy though is just as important here as it was in New Zealand. New Zealand has a Privacy Act similar to the United States’ HIPAA. The article “Privacy, employees and human resources: a case report” (Mair, 2011) documents the release of an employee’s medical records to his employer, a New Zealand hospital and the resulting issues. Although administrators are highly cognizant of patient privacy and confidentiality, it can be easily overlooked when employees are involved. The article concerns an employee at a particular hospital who presented himself to that hospital’s Emergency Department for stress and anxiety connected to his employment there and his bullying and harassment by a particular nurse. He had made several complaints to the administration about this treatment by the nurse and nothing had been done. The nurse, Nurse X, who interviewed him, noted that he was at a low risk of harming himself or others. He also told Nurse X that he had submitted his resignation that day to the hospital. A doctor at the hospital assessed him and determined that he was of moderate risk to himself because the internalizing his anger could lead to suicide. He was transferred to another hospital where he was again evaluated and discharged the next day after as it determined that he was no longer experiencing...
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...Electronic surveillance in the workplace Electronic Surveillance in the Workplace: Concerns for Employees and Challenges for Privacy Advocates Anna Johnston and Myra Cheng Paper delivered 28 November 2002 International Conference on Personal Data Protection Hosted by Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee, Korea Information Security Agency Seoul, Korea Ms Anna Johnston is the NSW Deputy Privacy Commissioner. Ms Myra Cheng is a Research & Policy Officer with Privacy NSW, the Office of the NSW Privacy Commissioner. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Ben Searle, Macquarie University, in providing an overview of the relevant literature from the field of organisational psychology. Introduction This paper takes up the challenge of talking about privacy in the workplace - a site of potential conflict in which there may be co-existing radically different views on whether workers can or should have any expectations of privacy. As long as there has been employment, employees have been monitored. Nebeker D M & B C Tatum, "The effects of computer monitoring, standards and rewards on work performance, job satisfaction and stress" (1993) 23(7) Journal of Applied Social Psychology 508 at 508. However, in recent years, with an environment of affordable technology, the availability of less easily observable or detectable monitoring devices, and a lack of adequate regulation, there has been an explosion in the use of electronic monitoring...
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