According to reports, employers in Michigan and other states have implemented increasingly invasive methods of spying on their employees. Statistics released by the National Workrights Institute revealed that 66 percent of employers track their employees’ behaviors via electronic means. Analysts say that many of these methods are completely legal, but they also point out that a number of states have legislation allowing workers who feel like their privacy has been violated to initiate employee rights lawsuits.
Employer surveillance methods might include monitoring employee Internet usage as well as the contents of work-related emails and personal emails sent from official company devices. Keystroke loggers that record what employees type are used by a number of employers, and employees are commonly videotaped while at work.
Employers have also been recorded spying on their off-duty workers. Although many states have banned the practice of demanding private social media account passwords, employers often investigate people’s profiles or prohibit workers from complaining about their firms via these platforms. Analysts say that legal rules against such behaviors are routinely circumvented by companies that make their workers agree to hidden consent forms or employment agreements. Nonetheless, employees who are fired after being monitored may be able to initiate civil suits in their states.
The rapid encroachment of modern technology into the professional scene has resulted in many potential employee rights violations. Laws that should prevent these issues are often slow to catch up to changing technology, leaving some employees unsure whether they can seek legal remedies after being wrongfully terminated. These employees may find that they suffer even further because they’ve been fired suddenly without being afforded sufficient time to search for new positions. Employment law attorneys may be able to help these individuals pursue compensation and take advantage of employer conduct regulations.
Source: AOL Jobs, “10 New (And Legal) Ways Your Employer Is Spying On You“, Donna Ballman, September 27, 2013
