What privacy rights are available to employees?
Because there are typically few employee privacy rights at work, employees have very few electronic privacy rights when working from home. Employers have the right to observe how you use company-provided technology and computer networks, including how you type, save your data, access websites, and use your work email, in accordance with federal law and legal precedent.
Email privacy rights only apply to personal accounts; they do not apply if you are using company hardware or a network. Additionally, if someone forwards a post you create to a password-protected social media site on your own time on a company laptop, your employer may still take legal action against you.
What exemptions exist to worker monitoring?
There are a few exceptions to worker monitoring. Generally speaking, it is against the law for companies to record employees in break rooms or restrooms; however, it’s unclear how this applies in the age of virtual...