LAW AND ETHICS IN THE WORKPLACE /PRIVACY IN THE WORKPLACE

LAW AND ETHICS IN THE WORKPLACE /PRIVACY IN THE WORKPLACE

You work for a company that sells paper products. Your boss is concerned that employees are spending an inordinate amount of time sending non-work-related emails and making personal telephone calls. In addition, there are concerns that some of the employees might be abusing drugs and alcohol in a way that is affecting their work performance. Finally, the boss is concerned that some of the negative office culture might spillover onto social media. The boss, frustrated and angry, is interested in: (a) Implementing full surveillance in the office (video, phone, and both personal and private e-mail accessed through the company server) (b) Executing periodic drug tests (c) Requiring employees to sign a confidentiality agreement in which they promise, as a condition of continued employment, not to talk negatively about the company or its treatment of employees (wages, workload, etc.) on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook (d) Obligating employees to sign a non-compete and non-poaching agreement The boss asks you for advice regarding the legality and ethical implications of these plans and any practices that should be used to stay within the bounds of law and ethics. – Prepare a memo of 1000-1250 words outlining your recommendations for how the policies should be drafted or why they should be abandoned. – Provide context for the policies by outlining the scope and nature of the privacy rights employees have in a private, non-government workplace. Address both legal and ethical issues in the recommendations. Your paper should be in APA format and include at least four references, preferably peer-reviewed.