What constitutes a claim for a hostile work environment?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What constitutes a claim for a hostile work environment?
Currently testifying against my immediate supervisor in a Class 2 Felony case. My supervisor knows of the testimony. While speaking with a detective, it became known that my supervisor accessed my work computer via my username and password, and went through my files. He discovered a file that was my written statement for the detective. Is this conduct acceptable by labor laws? I feel that it is a violation via unnecessary increased surveillance. No other employees files were searched. Given the nature of the situation, there is motive behind the actions.
Asked on August 31, 2011 Arizona
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
You say that the supervisor accessed your work computer via your user name and password. If that is the case, then it is likely that what the supervisor did was legal. Your work computer is the property of your employer, not you; an employer (or supervisors, as its representatives) has the right to access its own property. Anything stored on the employer's computer is something which they generally have the right to review. It doesn't matter if there was motive, if the employer, and therefore the supervisor, had the right to do this. They could not "hack" or otherwise access your personal computer at home, but worker's don't generally have privacy rights in their work computers. NEVER put anything you don't want your employer or any managers thereat to see on a work computer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.