topic - "Employees should expect no privacy while on the job, even when engaging in personal communication via telephone or e-mail. Employers are paying for their employees'
time and have a reasonable expectation that this time is spent solely on work-related activities.
My response -
Author has raised a question here that whether employees should have any privacy while they are on work. Further author has emphasized that employees should not expect any privacy even when they are engaged in personal communication via telephone or email. Author has given rational behind this point of view that as employers are paying their employees so employers can expect their employees to spend office hours only on work related activities. I completely disagree with author here and support the employee's privacy right even when they are at work.
My strongest belief behind my point of view is that human being is a social animal who is very much affected with his or her work environment. Human can't work like a machine without any break or any personal activity in between work. Even many recent surveys conducted on employees support that employees who are allowed to take small breaks or who are frequently engaged in interactions with other colleagues during office hours are more productive then employees who are not involved in such activities. There should be a healthy environment in office. If employees are only engaged in office related activities without any personal activities then such environment could seriously de motivate employees.
In agreement with my first point, I would like to highlight that nobody can predict when an emergency can arise in ones personal life or one's loved one's life’s e.g. if an employee is at work and there is an emergency at his or her home, then employees has to engage in personal communication. In this situation, employers shall have enough tolerance to allow such personal engagements.
Secondly, I would like to emphasis that everybody has right of privacy even when individual is at work or at any other place. Privacy right should be respected by every one. Although I strongly support that there should be proper balance between individual’s rights and duties, I support the view point that individual should be care full while exercising their rights. When any individual is at work, his or her complete attention shall be on work related tasks and not on his or her personal life related activities.
In sum, I would like to emphasis that it is employer’s right to expect that employees should only work in office hours and should not engage themselves in other personal activities but at the same time employees should respect employees right of privacy and other situation in which employees do not have choice other than to get engaged in personal activates. Employers should try to develop a healthy environment in office where employees are encouraged to more productive not in terms of number of hours work but in terms of work delivered.