Boss Question

[Poohnatic]

In a related note, HR is now asking us to provide them with a list of all our current medical conditions and a medication list, under the guise of asking for emergency contacts.

This is SO wrong! I sure hope you're providing them with emergency contacts and nothing else.

Suzanne

 

[Maleficent13]

This is SO wrong! I sure hope you're providing them with emergency contacts and nothing else.

Suzanne

No worries there!

 

[lesroi]

TG I live in a country with laws that protect ones privacy, even at work! Indeed, my employer is not allowed to read my email or even trace on what websites I have been. If they don't want their employees to surf the web, they have to take measures that prevents it. E.g. at my previous job, they had websense, which filtered out all kind sof websites (ebay, porn, games, religious sites, ...)

Kind of OT but I know what you mean Sandra. DH and I have very good friends that live in Belgium. The laws there are very stringent. Our friend actually works for the police department cracking down on child porn! Belgium is very proactive with their laws.

Tracy

 

[MareQ]

If I need something that you have and I can't wait til you get back - yup I'm going to go looking for it. I will not dig through every drawer and will not look at something if it's not what I want-but I will look for it.

We however encourage people to not make their workstations "home". It's a desk not a locker. A few pictures and personal items are ok - but if you have something in your desk that you don't want people to go through - then it doesn't belong there.

 

[CathrynRose]

I have nothing personal in or on my desk at all. Well, unless you count my cookie drawer for snack emergencies, which she can help herself to. So there isn't anything I am worried about her seeing; I just find it strange.

In a related note, HR is now asking us to provide them with a list of all our current medical conditions and a medication list, under the guise of asking for emergency contacts.

Well, this violates HIPAA:

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

 

[tw1nsmom]

Asking about medical conditions is way out of line, but everything else mentioned here is fair game.

DH and his business associate do computer forensics as part of their business. They've dealt with clients whose employees have stolen sizeable amounts from them (both client list and actual money). Those clients now have strict protocols where they search email, internet use, and desks.

Maybe some of the companies that have these policies have been burned in the past. As some others have said, they have every legal right to search (they own the equpiment, desks, internet access...), and some may have practical reasons.

 

[kidzmom3]

I wouldn't be in the least surprised at my work. They are work stations and you are not allowed to put anything personal in it. We have a separate area for our purses and coats. We sit at the same "work station" every day but if someone wanted to sit at the one you usually do, then that would be fine. Also, I am a low level supervisor and I am sent a list weekly of the employees who surfed the web, what sites they went to and how long they were online. We cannot turn off internet as we need it for our jobs. We do have software that blocks all shopping, ebay and porn sites.

 

[rkrivas]

If I need something that you have and I can't wait til you get back - yup I'm going to go looking for it. I will not dig through every drawer and will not look at something if it's not what I want-but I will look for it.

This is how I approach it as well....my team handles 401(k) Plans and I can't hold off on stock trades or not resolve issues because someone on my team is out of the office and I don't have a copy of something. Otherwise, I stay out of their stuff!