Organizational IT Related Privacy Policy - Essay Example

In the recent past, issues related to workplace privacy and how firms address privacy, have resulted to unwanted, costly lawsuits. In order for organizations to eliminate these lawsuits, firms are monitoring employee communications critically. Worker email monitors and employee surveillance in working environment present in most cases conflicting ethical issues concerning an employee requirement to safeguard its property and itself against any liability and worker’s right to privacy. Tangible business reasoning stipulates that it is legally and ethically practical for an employer to develop a written workplace policy that comprises monitoring use of computer while at the same scope provide sufficient protections for employee privacy rights in order to survive legal analysis (Cox and Goette, 2005).

Privacy has evolved to be an important element in business environment particularly in aspect related to technology and rights of employees. Privacy is freedom or liberty from unauthorized intrusion. Privacy can be attacked in four premises. The first is perverse intrusion upon individual’s seclusion. Appropriation takes place when the use of individual’s likeness or name is used for economic gains. The third premise is public disclosure of individual private facts. Lastly, false light is publicly placing or featuring individual in a false light.

Most employers are faced with privacy issues involving intrusion upon seclusion (Lim, 2002). Most of employees are traditionally accustomed to using technology provided to them by employers for other purposes other than for job specifications. Therefore, this has forced many organizations to create and implement information technology-based policies that monitor workers’ email and internet actions.