Quick Overview of Privacy of Employees

The privacy of employees is regulated and administered through local state laws. As of 2010, only California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Rhode Island have instituted provisions which protect the privacy of employees. Although these states possess general laws regarding the privacy of employees, they are only administered to warn employees that they are subject to inspection or surveillance.

In general, an employer has the ability to observe an employee's actions while working for that employer. Employee privacy is severely limited to allow the employer to observe the presence of efficient work and to protect their liability against any illegal behaviors performed by their employees.

For the majority of states, privacy rights for individuals employed in the private sector are virtually non-existent. The reasoning behind such a lack of rights is that the majority of employers conduct electronic surveillance on their employees to ensure that they are not stealing or participating in illegal activities.

NEXT: Tennessee Department of Labor