Top Privacy Concerns For Employees in the Work Place: Understanding Confidentiality

Addressing top privacy concerns for employees in the workplace may vary depending upon the employer, the place of employment, the actual work environment and work options.

Personal privacy is one of the major concerns for employees and thus, confidentiality is important. 

What is confidentiality?

The freedictionary.com suggests that confidentiality is rooted in the word confidential, which signifies something “done or communicated in confidence” or “secret”.

By agreeing to hire employees, an employer conveys an attitude of trust or trustworthiness to his or her potential employees. In return, the employer anticipates mutual trust or trustworthiness in every aspect of employer-employee interpersonal relationships, as well as mutual confidentiality and an attitude of respect in the employment environment.

Note that there is always a degree of risk for employers with regard to confidentiality, as transparent, sensitive information may be subject to inadvertent disclosure by employees. Personal privacy issues may also surface or re-surface, adversely affecting employee interpersonal relationships.        

Professionalism requires ongoing mutual confidentiality.

Note that for an effective employer-employee relationship to be possible in any business or organization, there must be confidentiality in both directions, particularly with regard to financial or management issues. 

Most employers will insist upon their employees signing a confidentiality agreement upon hiring. 

Breaches in confidentiality can be cause for reprimands or dismissal of employees. Because employees are not always professional in businesses or organizations, breaches of confidentiality may cause serious problems.

Many businesses or organizations require confidentiality in terms of personal employee information disclosure. For example, disclosure of personal health information is not appropriate in a health care setting and guidelines ensure confidentiality. With respect to any business, disclosure of technical data via computer hacking would not be appropriate because confidentiality is important.

During a period of severe economic decline resulting from a recession, the need for increased confidentiality increases. 

With large numbers of baby boomers and seniors returning to work following early retirement, there may be confidentiality concerns for employees because job competition increases. Breaches in personal confidentiality between employees may be or become a major factor with respect to job loss and thus employment records should always be confidential.

Each employee is responsible for the degree of confidentiality he or she conveys with respect to his or her employer, as well as fellow employees. This is also true with regard to his or her place of employment and job description. 

Privacy concerns every employee and confidentiality is vital.