Tom Long and Mark Short have formed a business and named it “The Long and the Sh
ID: 357872 • Letter: T
Question
Tom Long and Mark Short have formed a business and named it “The Long and the Short of It” (“L&S”). The following employment scenario raises new legal issues pertaining to this week’s reading that L&S must address. L&S believes that it can improve its profits by discouraging employee theft and shoplifting. As a result, it considering installing surveillance cameras in conspicuous locations. L&S is also contemplating tape-recording phone conversations to monitor personal phone use, which it believes has become a problem. Finally, L&S wants to prohibit use of its e-mail system for private messages after receiving a complaint from a customer who received an inappropriate joke through L&S’s e-mail. The joke was mistakenly sent to the customer by Rodney Fraizer, an employee, instead of to his friend. But the damage was done. 1. Are the employees’ privacy interests violated by the installation of surveillance cameras? Why or why not? 2. Are the employees’ privacy interests violated by the tape-recording of phone calls to monitor personal phone use? Why or why not? 3. Are the employees’ privacy interests violated by prohibiting the use of its e-mail system for private messages? the answers were given did not make sense requesting new answers for the three question.
Explanation / Answer
In L&S, all above criteria is getting fulfilled successfully. So the installation of cameras in office is legally valid.
Office is considered as a workplace or public place. The employee’s privacy interests can only be violated in situations if the employer is filming their private moment in washroom or rest rooms. Otherwise, there is no threat to employee privacy and the installation of surveillance cameras is totally legal and valid.
2. The Federal law, through the Federal Wire Tapping Act, has prohibited the interception of communication on employee’s personal phone. The employer does not have the right to tape-record the employee’s conversations on personal phone. However, the law has given exception in this regard: