Staff monitoring
Employers commonly monitor employees’ behaviour in the workplace to ensure that rules are not being broken and employees are acting appropriately while representing the employer.
Common methods of monitoring staff include recording employees’ activities on CCTV, checking emails, listening to voicemails and monitoring telephone conversations.
Employers should inform employees that monitoring is taking place, how data is being collected, how the data will be securely processed and the purpose for which the data will be used. Employee will usually be entitled to see data that has been collected about them. In exceptional circumstances, the organisation may use monitoring covertly (for example, to catch a thief).
Google releases strict guidelines on employee communications
Google has released new workplace guidelines urging staff not to insult one another or make misleading comments about the company....
Court of Appeal: Junior doctor wins rest break test case
The NHS faces a bill of millions of pounds after a junior doctor won a test case yesterday about the...
Privacy: what data can employers collect from company-issued tech?
Employers could be collecting personal data from company tech.
Covert recording is not always misconduct, finds EAT
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has clarified when it is acceptable for an employee to make a covert recording of a...
When does keeping tabs on working time overstep the line?
A recent ECJ case means employers will need to more closely track employee time at work. But when does concern over employees' wellbeing turn into spying on them?
Can employers carry out covert surveillance on staff?
Even if an employer is confident that theft or other offences are taking place in the workplace there are plenty of factors to consider before surveillance cameras are installed.
More protections against excessive employee surveillance needed
Two-thirds of workers fear that workplace surveillance fuels distrust and could be used in a discriminatory way if left unregulated,...
World Cup 2018: Six goals for employers
The 2018 World Cup in Russia sees 32 nations taking part in 63 matches from Thursday 14 June until Sunday...
Does employee surveillance improve or impair performance?
Employee surveillance is becoming ever more pervasive in the workplace. New technologies make it easier to monitor employee performance and...
ECHR judgment and the tricky issue of email monitoring: What now for employers?
How should employers adapt their policies on monitoring employees’ use of email or other company systems in the wake of...
Worker whose messages were monitored had human rights breached
Employers should make employees aware of any monitoring of their...
Gambling problems: Reducing the risk of corporate fraud
Gambling has become more accessible than ever, with betting shops boasting machines that consume hundreds of pounds in minutes. Some...
Microchipping workers: What are the moral, practical and legal implications?
Three Square Market, a Wisconsin-based tech company, recently became one of the first in the world to microchip staff. David...
Six important employment law cases in 2017
The decision by the Supreme Court that the employment tribunal fees system is unlawful may be one of the most...
WhatsApp and confidential data: where to draw the line with social media
An investment bank employee has been investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after sharing confidential client information over WhatsApp....
