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Privacy Issues Articles
Blog postings can be cause for dismissal
Employees who believe that their conduct away from the office is immune from discipline are mistaken. Where off-duty behaviour poses a problem, don’t be surprised when it follows you back to your desk....[read more]
Computer Misuse at work
Employees often get what they deserve. When they work hard, they get a bonus. When their service is long and meritorious, they may get a good severance package or pension. When they knowingly break their employer's rules, however, they often are fired for cause and get nothing at all. This is the tale of two employees who misused their computers at work and the consequences they reluctantly faced.
...[read more]
Computer Misuse at work
Employees often get what they deserve. When they work hard, they get a bonus. When their service is long and meritorious, they may get a good severance package or pension. When they knowingly break their employer's rules, however, they often are fired for cause and get nothing at all. This is the tale of two employees who misused their computers at work and the consequences they reluctantly faced....[read more]
Employee privacy rights
What happens when employee privacy rights collide with an employer’s right to monitor its workplace? Courts are frequently asked to rule on the delicate balance between an employee’s right to privacy and an employer’s right to manage the workplace. While employers do retain the right to monitor their employees, that exercise must only be performed in good faith and where there is a reasonable belief that an offence is being committed. Otherwise, employers may find themselves on the wrong side of another lawsuit....[read more]
Inappropriate Interview Questions
Too many operate under the delusion that no interview question can be asked relating to personal characteristics or circumstances. However, Canadian employers are permitted to ask tough personal questions. While human rights legislation prohibits employers from making decisions based on permanent personal features such as race, place of origin, colour, religion or disability, among others, it does not prevent them from asking questions based on these grounds....[read more]
Internet misuse at work
With positive performance reviews and regular salary increases, 14-year company veteran Gregory Backman had nowhere to go but up. But life can be lonely at the top. Having admitted to viewing pornography on his workplace computer, Backman was immediately fired. He wasn’t about to go easily. Supervising employees at the Saint John, New Brunswick premises of Maritime Paper Products Ltd., Backman had run into problems with Internet pornography before. He had been caught viewing inappropriate websites in 2002 and 2005. When a computer audit revealed that Backman had been surfing pornographic web sites for more than 10 hours in October 2006, Maritime Paper’s response was swift. Backman was shown the door. ...[read more]
Internet misuse at work
The workplace no longer has traditional borders. Employees now correspond through instant messages, through Facebook and via e-mail. Seldom do they do so exclusively for business purposes. Others, who are bored, unmotivated or underworked, surf the internet for much of their workdays, managing their sports pools, blogging about coworkers, reading the news or dating on-line. Employers have good reason for concern. Lost productivity and potential liability for the actions of their employees have caused most organizations to revisit their computer use policies - or create new ones altogether. ...[read more]
Recapping 2009's developments
As we look back on a busy year, we all received some good advice, but often never got around to following it. Since the holidays are a time to reflect, I'm giving you a second chance. Here is some advice for employees in 2010....[read more]