Laura Pincus Hartman

Whether employees have a right to privacy has become a controversial question with the recently widespread use of personal computers and e-mail in the workplace. While some employers maintain that productivity is heightened by the monitoring of employees, others contend that video cameras, Internet tracking, and e-mail reading violate employees’ rights to privacy. In the following viewpoint, Laura Pincus Hartman claims that employers may monitor employees without violating employees’ privacy by creating a policy and ensuring that all employees are informed. Hartman is the director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, whose mission is the teaching and training of ethical behavior to professionals and the public.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Hartman, why may an employer be justified in monitoring an employee’s e-mail"

2. As cited by...