Workplace Privacy

Good evening, my peers, 

Workplace privacy is a particularly interesting topic, and on this occasion, I was very curious about what employers think about it. Therefore, I decided to interview two of my friends to get further information about how they feel about it, and whether they agree or frown upon it. I already have a clear idea of where I stand on the subject, so it was very interesting to compare and contrast my thoughts with those of my friends. I will leave the two interviews below so you can see what they replied to my questions. Please provide your opinions also; I would love to get different points of view on it. I hope you will enjoy them!

- The first person I interviewed was my friend, Ricardo Muñoz, and these were his answers:

1. Do you think employers should monitor their employees? Why?

“Yes. Because employers need to make sure their services or products are being offered to the consumers at the level of quality that is intended, and many are held legally to certain industry standards.”

2. Should there be a limit to what they can monitor?

“Yes. I believe the monitoring should be limited to the employee's business related activities and tools."

3. How do you think this helps employers?

“This allows the employer to actively manage the quality and efficiency of their business as well as allowing them to quickly adapt to the observed needs of their consumers, and also of their employees.”

4. Do you think this violates employees' privacy?

“As long as there are clear boundaries that separate what can be monitored and making sure it's limited to the employee's role within the business, it shouldn't.”

5. Do you consider monitoring employees can have negative effects on their performance?

“I believe the benefits of being actively engaged in the performance of the employees and the experience of the customers vastly outweighs any possible negative effects.”

6. What safeguards should employees be entitled to?

“The employee's privacy and dignity should be protected. Open dialogue should be encouraged between employer and employee, and Human Resources should ensure that this is enforced in accordance to all applicable laws.”

- The second person I interviewed was my friend, Bárbara Batista, and her answers were the following:

1. Do you think employers should monitor their employees? Why?

“Yes, I think they should. I believe that any employer desires and has the responsibility of monitoring or supervising that everything is in order, that each employee is fulfilling his/her function for effective and productive results.”

2. Should there be a limit to what they can monitor?

“Obviously, there must be limits. I think that although there must be supervision, this should not interfere with the work done by the employees. I also believe that employers must have respect for the private lives of their employees, etc.”

3. How do you think this helps employers?

“If employers supervise their employees, they could ensure their performance, identify or detect problems to which they could provide solutions, etc.”

4. Do you think this violates employees' privacy?

“If employers do not cross the lines of their employees’ private lives, employees do not have to feel that their privacy is violated.”

5. Do you consider monitoring employees can have negative effects on their performance?

“I think that if monitoring turns into pressure or stress, it could become a negative thing for employees. Monitoring should be measured and objective.”

6. What safeguards should employees be entitled to?

“Employees should feel respected, should have the right to maintain their privacy and to work free from tension in the work environment.”

Stanly Santos