Question

Employees have a right to privacy, but employers also have a right to create and maintain an efficient and safe workplace. Do you think that existing laws strike an appropriate balance between employers' rights and employees' rights? Why or why not? Please specifically address the questions posed by explaining and supporting your comments from a legal perspective.

Answer 1

Employees have a right to privacy, but employers also have a right to create and maintain an efficient and safe workplace.

We do not think that existing laws strike an appropriate balance between employers' rights and employees' rights. Because the current laws and regulations are not defined and released in such a way that they can help to protect the privacy of the employees as well as the right of employer to develop and maintain the right working environment in the organization. Currently we do have definite measures, which can helps for management for employees privacy and employers right in developing adequate working environment. The employer is not able to maintain appropriate strictness in the organization which ensures that the right working environment is developed in the organization. Similarly the employees are not empowered and strengthened to ensure that their privacy is maintained in the organization. Thus still long way to go for achieving a balance between the privacy right of employees and employer’s right for good working environment development.

Can employees have the privacy be maintained like does he had a habit of alcohol, smoking, disease, any other bad habit etc. These are the information which forms the privacy of the employees. But if smoking and drinking are not ensured, then the organization will not be able to develop and maintain the right working environment for all employees. Many employees do not like smoking habit, drinking habit etc in the organization. Thus there is no legal balance between the acceptable smoking level and drinking level for the organization. Thus no legal framework exists, which can create a balance between the privacy of employees and the right of employers to develop good working environment or great work place.