At some point in our professional lives we’ve all heard or been told by an employer to leave personal business at home. I have always agreed with this philosophy as personal business can severely affect productivity and overall performance. This way of thinking is probably older than most of us can imagine and it’s a good adage to live and work by.

The question that now arises is why, if an employer can ask you not to bring personal business and problems to work do they have the right to peer into your personal business even after you’ve left the office? Even scarier, the law allows employers to view your personal spaces online such as your Myspace and Facebook pages. Furthermore there is nothing that can stop an employer from using the information they read or see from firing you, or even keep them from hiring you.

The business owners in this country aren’t satisfied with having well behaved and productive employees in the workplace. They now expect their employee’s to behave in a way that is conducive to their business at all times. An employer’s policies and procedures have now been extended so that they reach far into the personal lives of their employees. While it is a fact that all employers discriminate both legally and illegally they should have no right to view any employee’s personal emails, websites, blogs, or any other documents.

A large majority of business owners and individuals will state that because an employee puts something on a public domain, like the internet that they have a right to read it. Well if we run with that thought and continue down that road, the question must be asked, is it ethical or moral to stand and watch someone undress in their home simply because they left the blinds open? The answer to that question will be determined by the morals and ethics of each individual who reads this article, just as it would if we were asking employers their thoughts on viewing and using personal, off the clock employee information.

The vast majority of employers and working class people will state that employees should be wary of what they post online and that some materials might be damaging to the company with whom they are employed. More often than not however employers are making employment decisions based on pictures of their employees engaged in behavior that they feel isn’t business appropriate. Written works created by employees on their own free time have also been scrutinized by invasive employers. Those looking for employment or going for a promotion are often advised to keep things offline, especially if these things involve politics, religion, opinions on work, or essentially anything that might make an individual look undesirable.

While there are most certainly those out in the workforce who find this type of activity immoral they rarely speak up as they fear employer retaliation, discrimination, or even loss of employment. In many scenarios there are silent majorities who don’t speak out for what’s right and this is one of those many situations. As an employer does only what’s in its best interest there will never be a time where those in control and those who want more control over people will allow this right to be taken away. The courts and the law will always favor those with money and those already hold the reigns.

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