Employee Rights on the Job and on the Web

As technology evolves, it can make life simpler. In the workplace, however, technological advances give employers new tools that can blur the lines between legal and illegal surveillance. Because there are a number of gray areas when it comes to employee privacy, the IAFF has developed a new online course - Privacy Issues in the Workplace.

The free online course, based on presentations delivered in previous Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) events, is available to IAFF members via the IAFF Online Learning Center. The course covers seven aspects of workplace privacy issues:

•    Spy technology available to employers
•    Employees’ right to privacy at work
•    Legal and illegal computer monitoring and searches
•    The employer’s right to search an employee’s property (including social media accounts)
•    Employees’ personal information and their right to privacy
•    The employer’s rights to request and release medical information
•    The Canadian perspective on privacy issues in the workplace

To take the course, use your IAFF login to access the IAFF Online Learning Center. On the homepage, go to the column labeled “Union Leadership Training,” click on “Legal Issues” and select Privacy Issues in the Workplace.