The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, as amended in 1994, extends some right of privacy to employees when sending and receiving e-mail messages on the employer’s computer system and calls made and received on employer-owned cell phones.
However, the statute provides several exceptions that permit employers to intercept and/or monitor employee e-mail, Internet, and cell phone use at work.
- Describe your current (or previous) employer’s policy regarding employee use of e-mails, Internet, and phones for personal matters while at work.
- Be sure to indicate if the policy is a formal, written policy, or an informal policy.
- In addition, is the policy administered in a uniform and consistent manner?