Monitoring Your Employees

Under the Employment Practices Data Protection Code and in line with the Data Protection Act, employers are still able to monitor employees, provided that the benefit to the employer outweighs any negative/adverse impact on the employee.

Monitoring employees includes checking phone calls, emails, internet access, staff arrival and leaving times, and video surveillance. Employers must take steps to ensure the following issues have been considered:

• Any benefits of monitoring will outweigh the negatives,
• Employees are aware of the monitoring (including the
  type, methods and reasons why),
• Alternative options are available to employees i.e.
• Provision of pay-phones on the premises as an option to
  using company phones.