Work Place Spying?

[cassa333]

My OH has for sometime thought that his work managers/directors are spying on staff.

His department manager and the director have come to him to talk about things he has spoken about with other people and he knows they haven't spoken to the others. (if that makes sence lol)

It has happened a few times with thigs said in the office and with emails he has sent.

Are they allowed to 'soy' like that?

[Fitzer]

All emails sent via a company's system belong to the company and they are entitled to read them whenever they want.

[China Doll]

Yep. Emails belong to the company.

[boxtops]

I agree with the others, no email sent or received on a work computer is private to an individual. How does he know the others haven't been spoken to in confidence, and not telling him?

[ToraToraTora]

yes

[factor-fiction]

Unless the work place is involved in top secret activities it's hard to imagine an employer would bother to bug offices and corridors, and I can't see them having the resources to listen to all the tapes. However it's possible i suppose they may record particular meetings if they feel there is a good reason to do so

[2sp_]

I once worked in an open plan office where the boss was in a smaller room across the corridor. He always seemed to know what was going on, who was up to what, who was slacking off, who was gossiping etc.

One day when I was in his office dropping something on his desk I noticed that due the acoustics of the building and ceiling tiles you could hear pretty much everything that was going on in the main office.

[ToraToraTora]

.....and the microphones in the plant pots helped too!

[snags]

''microphones in the plant pots''

How quaint... it is now spycams and keyloggers ;-p

[Prudie]

Never entirely trust 'the other people' not to have said something to the others. Even if it's in all innocence no-one can keep anything quiet at work.

[Peter Pedant]

The punters so far have said that when you are at work - you are the employers' play thing and he can do what he wants ....

but not quite.

occy health in a firm - the factory nurse is employed by er the employer but I would not say taht emails from her about employees' health issues are to be read by the boss. I think they are for example confidential.

so - monitoring at work .....

The data protection registrar -Information Commissioner has published this;
and part 3 at p 76
monitoring at work.
If you are a public employee -then the Human Rights Act also has a place but not otherwise.

http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/guidance_index/~/media/documents/library/Data_Protection/Detailed_specialist_guides/the_employment_practices_code.ashx