Where is the line between legitimate monitoring and employee privacy?
Where is the line between legitimate monitoring and employee privacy?
Publish Date: 2026-05-19 12:34:00
Source Domain: www.usatoday.com
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
Updated May 19, 2026, 12:34 p.m. ET
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your workplace questions each week for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of SHRM, the world’s largest trade association of human resources professionals, and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”
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Question: My employer recently started using monitoring software to track employee computer activity, and it makes me uncomfortable because it feels like a violation of privacy. Where is the line between legitimate monitoring and employee privacy? – Leila
Answer: The short answer is employers generally have the right to monitor activity on company-owned devices and networks, but how they do it matters. The line between legitimate oversight and intrusion usually comes down to transparency, purpose, and proportionality.
In most workplaces, employees should have limited expectations of privacy when using company equipment. If you’re working on an employer-owned laptop or network, monitoring is typically permissible, especially when it’s disclosed. Organizations have legitimate reasons for doing it. They’re responsible for protecting proprietary information, preventing cybersecurity breaches, maintaining productivity, and meeting regulatory obligations. From that perspective, some level of monitoring is part of responsible management.
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That said, the why and how behind monitoring matter a great deal. There’s a clear difference between safeguarding systems and surveilling people. Monitoring network activity to prevent data leaks or cyberattacks is very different from intrusive practices such as activating webcams without clear consent, tracking employees outside of working hours, or capturing personal communications unrelated to work. Oversight tied directly to legitimate business needs is one thing; excessive or punitive…
