Employee Handbook/Privacy Assignment Essay

Employee handbooks argon used to familiarize employees with lodge policies and procedures. Documented employee citation of receipt and understanding will strengthen the companys survey by confirming employees were informed concerning policies and procedures affecting their usage including retirement. An effectively alert handbook will non only avoid employee misunderstandings, enhance team spirit and productivity but also address any applicable state, federal, and transnational laws. Employee handbooks should focus on the following three overarching privacy aras (1) Operating- confidentiality of company breeding, (2) Employment- personnel office files, harassment, criminal convictions, and employment references, (3) Electronic Access Policies- privacy of email, confidential cultivation, passwords, and bformer(a) of a nonher employees email (Employee Handbook Company Policy Manual, 2006). A comprehensive employee handbook will provide a roadmap to guide associates fini shed the maze of company policies and procedures.The companys position in reply to privacy rights issues should consider and ensure compliance with common law, statutory requirements, and supranational law, if applicable. Bennett-Alexander and Hartman define statutory claims as followsState legislatures give birth responded to the issue of close sector employee privacy in one of four ways (1) Enacting economy mirroring federal law, (2) Recognizing constitutional right to privacy under their state constitutions, (3) protect employees only in certain areas of employment, much(prenominal) as personnel records or the use of credit nurture, and (4) Leaving private sector employees to fend for themselves (pp. 593-594, 1995/2004)As such(prenominal), the employee handbook should identify policies associated with confidentiality including whether the company requires employees to sign a confidentiality agreement. In addition, data concerning random searches as employees enter/ex it the facility should be conveyed in the employee handbook. In terms of general employment privacy, the handbook should let loose to handling of personnel file information, medical records, criminal background checks, and employment references.Further, the employee handbook should provide an assurance in c each for to confidentiality associated with harassment complaints including the companys investigation process. Finally, the employee handbook should provide clear expectations and procedures in regard to privacy of email, glide path of another employees email, confidential information, and passwords. Electronic opening policy information should include the companys position in regard to monitoring employees use of backing information systems.The comment of privacy by Schoeman (cited in Hansson and Persson, 2003) states, a person has privacy to the issue that others have control coming to information about him, limited access to the intimacies of his life, or limited acce ss to his thoughts or his body (p. 3, para. 2). Team Bs objective to employee privacy is to have respect for the individual(s). The information self-contained from an employee is used for the purpose of the job only. This includes information for benefits and medical issues. Unless there is write permission from the employee otherwise. Employee privacy is very important in todays changing environment. Privacy boundaries may vary from state to state. According to Webster (cited in Hillstrom & Hillstrom),Searches and ecstasys-an employer has the right to inspect personal belongings (bags, purses, briefcases, cars, lockers, desks, etc.), except when the employer has created a reasonable expectation of privacy. These expectations can be raised if the employee is given a key to a desk, or if the employer has disseminated a written policy explicitly stating that it will not make such inspections, Monitoring, computer, e-mail, profit, and fax use- problemes have near significant rights in this regard, since they own the equipment.But if these resources are knowingly do available for private employee use, then a reasonable expectation of privacy has been created and personal data placed and maintained on that equipment can be withheld from the employer, Monitoring telephone calls-companies are allowed to monitor calls to make sure that they are crinkle-related and to record them for training purposes, surveillance and investigation-many surveillance methods (cameras, ID checkpoints, etc.) are legal, as are investigation of employees, provided that they are reasonable and undertaken for work-related purposes, and do medicates scrutiny-these policies have been validate by the courts, although criticism of the practice remains intense in some quarters. drug seeing is a popular measure in many industries, and it is beneficial by perhaps seventy percent of large American companies. humiliated businesses, however, are less likely to embrace this technol ogy because of expense, nature of business activity, and concerns about workforce reaction (Reference for Business, p. 1-2, para. 4-8).Employee Handbook PrivacyWorkplace SurveillanceInformation systems are provided for the express purpose of supporting business activity. As such, all use of company systems including email communications are the shoes of rudiment Company. Employees are generally not permitted to use business information systems for personal use. Personal use is permissible if (a) Management has approved it (b) it does not consume more than a trivial amount of system resources (c) it does not interfere with employees productivity and (d) it does not preempt any business activity. Electronic mail systems are not to be used for such purposes as producing or distributing chain mail operating a business soliciting for personal, political, or religious causes or for outside organizations. alphabet Company does not guarantee, nor should users have any expectation on p rivacy of electronic communications. Users should run care regarding the contents of communications. first rudiment Company maintains the capability to monitor all activity on the companys business information systems including internet web sites visited. Employees must hold back written permission from their immediate supervisor prior to accessing chat rooms for business purposes. Telephone conversations may be monitored for the purpose of evaluating the quality of service provided to ABC Companys customers.Drug TestingCurrent and prospective employees will be asked to submit to drug and alcoholic drink stressing per ABC Company policy. Prospective employees will be asked to submit to testing if an offer of employment is tendered. Negative test settlements for drugs and/or alcohol are a condition of employment. This policy is intended to accede with all state laws governing drug and alcohol testing and is intentional to safeguard employee privacy rights to the fullest ext ent of the law. ABC Company will obtain employee signed approval form prior to administering drug and/or alcohol testing.Failure to submit to testing as a result of potential cause will result in suspension and may result in termination of employment. Any drug and/or alcohol testing requested by ABC Company will be performed by a state licensed laboratory. Each employee asked to submit to a drug or alcohol test will be notified of their results by ABC Company within 2 business days of receiving the lab results. any reasonable effort will be made by ABC Company to maintain confidentiality regarding results. If the test results are confirmed positive, the employee will be given the opportunity to provide a prescription supporting test findings.ABC Company does not tolerate the use of alcohol or nonprescription drugs on company premises or during work hours at facilities operated by ABC Company. Suspension shall be without pay until the results of the test are obtained by ABC Company. If the results are negative, the employee will be reinstated and compensated for hours not worked as a result of the suspension. Positive test results may result in termination of employment. Every reasonable effort will be made by ABC Company to protect the confidentiality of the drug test results.Employee RecordsThe purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees who have access to confidential information regarding other employees understand the importance of preserving the confidentiality of such information. This policy applies to all ABC company employees who have access to confidential personnel information and/or are otherwise provided access to such information for legitimate business-related purposes.Employees who have access to confidential information, including, but not limited to, personnel matters concerning other company employees (e.g., compensation, employment-related medical information, retirement benefits, marital status, work performance issues and/or e valuations, etc.) must sign an Agreement Regarding secludedity and Non-Disclosure of Confidential Employee Information. Management employees requesting access to such information must submit a signed Agreement Regarding Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure of Confidential Employee Information to the Human Resources Department prior to being granted access to confidential personnel information.Employee information shall not be released to any triplet party without the written request for release of information signed and dated by the employee and verified by an HR representative. Each request for information shall be treated as a separate inquiry, be limited to the information specified in the document and require separate documentation. Where captivate or in compliance with laws applicable to an employees specific work location, information will be issued to the appropriate authorities with the proper documents authorizing the search and seizure of said information.ReferencesBennet t-Alexander, D.D., & Hartman, L.P. (2004). The Right to Privacy and Other Protections from Employer Intrusions. _Employment Law for Business_(4th). new(a) York McGraw Hill. (Original work published 1995)Employee Handbook Company Policy Manual. (2006). In _NUPP Legal._ Retrieved kinsfolk 8, 2006, from http//www.nupplegal.com/polhanman1.htmlHansson, S. O., Persson, A. J., Jan 2003, Privacy at Work-Ethical Criteria, _Journal of Business Ethics_, Part 1, Vol. 42, Issue 1, p. 59-70, 12p, Retrieved on family line 8, 2006, from EBSCOhost website http//web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=29&hid=11&sid=6fd07b5a-b177-42f8-bcd3-def12a5cabc0%40sessionmgr101Hillstrom, L., Hillstrom, K., 2006, Employee Privacy, _Encyclopedia of Small Business__Di-Eq,_ Thomson Gale, Retrieved on kinsfolk 8, 2006, fromhttp//www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Di-Eq/copyright.html