Email privacy - Research Paper Example

Email Privacy Currently, it is possible for an employer to monitor all the activities that occur in an organization. The employer can monitor telephone calls, computer terminals, through electronic and voice mail, and the Internet. Like any other form of privacy invasion, there are some advantages and disadvantages of employer monitoring.A responsible employer monitors internet use by the workforce. In the main, this ensures that employees do not access job unrelated/inappropriate websites or play computer games (Philips 335).

Employers are always terrified of lower productivity through email use, and this furthers their curiousity to scrutinize the actions of employees during work time, especially through the email. Most employees exploit company resources to conduct private and unrelated work like communicating with friends and family. Employers are also at times afraid of employees using email to send their competitor secrets and changes that occur in their organization, because this gives the other firm and upper hand in the market.

Every email message, including attachment sent or received on the company server are the property of the company.Even so, employees believe that it is not ethical for employers to go through or have access to their email conversation as it breaches their privacy (Guerin 47). It is common for employees to browse and handle their personal emails in the company computer. In addition, for employers to monitor their email, this will mean going through both the company related work and employees personal and private conversation.

Today there are laws that protect the privacy of an employee in the workplace and employers need to adhere to this, although this does not apply in many organizations, mostly privately owned. When an employer goes through an employees email without his or consent, they might gather some personal information such as medical records and private conversations of the employee. In essence, this calls for the need of an employer to obtain permission from the employee before he/she accesses the employees email account.

ReferencesGuerin, Lisa. Smart Policies for Workplace Technologies: Email, Blogs, Cell Phones & More. New York: Nolo. 2013.Philips, Harry and Bostian Patricia. The Purposeful Argument: A Practical Guide, Brief. New York: Cengage Learning.2011.