Developments in Communication Technologies and Employee Privacy in the Workplace

Following the developments in technology, "monitoring" has steadily increased in educational institutions, roads, subway, or in short everywhere in cities where people live. And, the employees have also started to be monitored in workplaces by their employees during the working hours. The case of constantly being monitored and tracked has led to the established opinion in the employees that almost there is no privacy at work. Employers, however, consider the monitoring as a necessity since it increases efficiency, improves quality and ensures security. In the workplaces, e-mails and computers are monitored, offices are under surveillance by cameras, phones are tapped, certain sites and social media sites are blocked on the Internet, personal data are recorded, and electronic cards are used for employee entries and exits. Does these practices and controls have pressure on employees and harm privacy? Advances in communication technologies and the issue of employee privacy in businesses were investigated in this study by examining the regulations in international and municipal law (Constitution, the Turkish Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, Labor Law).