Privacy Laws and Policies Debate Essay

Upon viewing this weeks reading as well as going through other student arguments about why they are against communication privacy laws and policies, I feel even more strongly about them being crucial for success. Those who fear being watched are the ones who know they are doing wrong. Companies have the right to see what is going on, they pay the salaries of each employee. In times like today a company needs to know what is going on within itself. This means that having access to computers, email, mobile devices along with monitoring systems in the work place. Some of my fellow classmates to not agree with some of the practices but per our reading in Workplace Privacy it stays that â€Å"Under the â€Å"ordinary course of business† exemption, for example, employers may monitor email communications if the employer can show a legitimate business purpose for doing so† (Friedman, Reed, 2007). If employees know that they are being closely watched it decreases the chances of them not working or cheating the company. Some may argue that from our reading it says â€Å"While employers have many legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ electronic communications, they also need to consider negative implications of increased employee monitoring in terms of the effect of such practices on employee perceptions and attitudes† (Friedman, Reed, 2007). For me this does not work because if you are scared of being seen on camera or having someone go through work items then you are clearly doing something you should not be. Any person who owns a company would agree that the best way to stay in business is know what is going on within your company. Reference Friedman, B., & Reed, L. (2007, June). Workplace privacy: Employee relations and legal implications of monitoring employee e-mail use. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 19(2), 75.