Transcript Employee Stakeholders: Privacy, Safety, and Health

Employee
Stakeholders:
Privacy, Safety, and
Health
Search the Web
Workplace Health and Public Safety
Programme:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/whpsp/
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Chapter Sixteen Objectives
• Articulate employee right to privacy
• Identify the pros and cons of employee testing and
workplace surveillance
• Identify the role of government and government
legislation with regard to occupational safety and
health.
• Discuss the role of employer and employee with
regard to workplace health and safety
• Elaborate on actions that management can take to
create a safer and healthier work environment
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Chapter Sixteen Outline
• Right to Privacy in the Workplace
• Workplace Health and Safety
• Summary
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Introduction to Chapter Sixteen
The chapter focuses on an employee’s right to:
• Privacy
• Safety
• Health
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Right to Privacy
Definitions
• Right to keep one’s personal affairs to oneself and
to know how information about one is being used
• Werhane’s definition
– Right to be left alone
– Right to autonomy
– Right to determine when, how, and to what extent
personal information is communicated to others
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Right to Privacy
Five Issues of Employee Privacy
• Collection and use of employee information
• Testing of employees
• Monitoring of employees on the job
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Right to Privacy
Collection and Use of Employee
Information by Employers
• Personal Information according to the
Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
– Any factual or subjective information about an
individual including age, name, ID numbers,
income, ethnic origin, or blood type; opinions,
evaluations, comments, social status or
disciplinary action; and employee files, credit
records, loan records, and medical records.
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Ten Principles of Fair
Information Practices
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Accountability
Identifying Purposes
Consent
Limiting Collection
Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention
Accuracy
Safeguards
Openness
Individual Access
Challenging Compliance
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Right to Privacy
Integrity Testing
• Validity of integrity tests
– Criticisms
• Reasons for use
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To stem employee theft
To avoid “negligent hiring” suits
To screen employees
To replace polygraphs
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Right to Privacy
Drug Testing
• Drug testing
• Alcohol testing
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Right to Privacy
Reluctance to Drug Test
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Moral/privacy issue
Inaccuracy of tests
Negative impact morale
Tests show use, not abuse
High cost
Management, employee and union opposition
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Right to Privacy
Arguments for Drug Testing
• High cost of drug abuse
– Increased rate of injuries
– Increased rate of theft
– Increased propensity to make poor decisions
• Ethical responsibility to employees and public to:
– Provide for safe workplaces
– Provide for secure asset protection
– Provide for safe places to transact business
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Right to Privacy
Arguments Against Drug Testing
• Violates due process rights
• Invades privacy rights
• Grants greater weight to employer than
employee
• Ignores actual employee’s performance
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Right to Privacy
Guidelines for Drug Testing
• Management should not discipline or fire someone for
refusing to take drug test, results can be inconclusive
• Management should only use drug tests when there is
legitimate suspicion of abuse
• Management should use drug tests to evaluate job
performance and not on-the-job conduct
Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, 5E • Carroll & Buchholtz
Copyright ©2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.
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Right to Privacy
Guidelines for Drug Testing (cont’d)
• Management should inform employees of test
methods and results, and allow the employee to
rebut the findings
• Management should confirm all positive test results
with a second test
• Management should conduct all tests with respect
for employee dignity and privacy
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Right to Privacy
Monitoring
The key factor in determining the legality
and ethics of employee monitoring is the
employee’s reasonable expectation of
privacy
The pressure of being constantly monitored—
especially by computers—produces low morale.
The potential for abuse is also perceived, that
BIG BROTHER is watching
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Right to Privacy
How Monitoring Effects Employees
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Invades privacy
Treats employees unfairly
Creates stress and tension
Produces low morale
Creates a sense of job insecurity
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Right to Privacy
Guidelines on the Issue of Privacy
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Prepare a “privacy impact statement
Construct a comprehensive privacy plan
Train those who handle personal information
Make privacy part of social responsibility
Search the Web
The Privacy Foundation provides a web site
that provides information technologies that
may threaten personal privacy:
http://www.privacyfoundation.org/workplace
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Workplace Safety
The Role of Government
• Enforcing occupational health and safety
legislation
• Conducting workplace inspections
• Disseminating health and safety information
• Promoting training, education, and research
in the area of health and safety
• Resolving workplace disputes regarding
occupational health and safety
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Workplace Safety
The Role of the Employer
• Establishing a joint health and safety committee
• Taking appropriate precautions to ensure the
workplace is safe
• Training employees to deal with potential hazards and
emergencies
• Supplying personal protective equipment and training
• Reporting all critical injuries to the proper
government department
• Appointing a supervisor for setting standards and
ensuring safe working conditions are observed
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Workplace Safety
The Role of Employees
Duty to:
• Work in compliance with occupational health
and safety acts and regulations
• Use personal protective equipment and clothing
• Report workplace hazards and dangers
• Work in a manner as required by the employer
and using prescribed safety equipment
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Right to Know
Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System (WHMIS):
1. Label containers of hazardous materials
2. Provide material safety data sheets (MSDSs)
3. Provide education and training so that
employees understand the hazards of the
substances that they may handle
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Workplace Safety
Workplace Violence
• Workplace violence research
• Companies respond
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Promoting Health and Safety in
the Workplace
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Joint health and safety committee
Lifestyle information
Flexible working hours
Employee involvement initiatives
Active lifestyle programs
Monitoring of safety/health/wellness impacts
Joint wellness committees
Work-life balance initiatives
Wellness needs assessments
Self-directed work teams
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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Selected Key Terms
• Broad brush EAP
• Chief privacy officers
(CPOs)
• Drug testing
• Employee Assistance
Programs
• Employee monitoring
• Family-friendly
workplace
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Integrity tests
Occupational illness
Privacy Impact Statement
Privacy in the workplace
Workplace Hazardous
Materials Information
System (WHMIS)
• Workplace violence
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.
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