Privacy at Work: A Review and a Research Agenda fora Contested Terrain

Article Review

Employee privacy is a major concern, especially now with the prevalent use of
technology at the workplace. In the article, Privacy at Work: A Review and a Research Agenda for
a Contested Terrain, Bhave, Teo, & Dalal (2020) explore the issue of the right to privacy, diverse
infringements in the recent past and how certain human resource practices and policies such as
the use of biometric information and how such issues have been legally contested. The article’s
main concern is information privacy. The authors hold that the type of information that
employers collect from employees, the purpose of such information, its source, and how it is
stored raises concerns of invasiveness. The authors also state that the methods of selection used
by HR professionals are highly invasive. Emerging selection methods such as digital interviews,
online testing and social media are also pervasive (Bhave et al., 2020). Individuals are careful of
what they post on their social media platforms because some employers use such websites for
selection. Some posts that may be deemed “inappropriate” by certain employers may make a
candidate perceived as not suitable for a job.
Further, the authors state that other than selection methods used at the workplace, other
contexts that are invasive of employee privacy include the human resource information system,
email policies at the organization, and performance appraisal sessions (Bhave et al., 2020). Lack
of proper monitoring practices, the use of intrusive technologies, and instances where employers
even monitor personal spaces such as break rooms infringe on employees’ right to privacy. The
authors note that different data privacy laws have been enacted with the recent technological
developments and increased adoption of technology in the workplace. These laws have been seen
as a huge step towards the “sovereignty” of employees over their digital lives. However,
different organizations may have different interpretations of these laws, thus affecting their HR

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practices, how they handle employee data, and how they choose to monitor their employees
while at the workplace.
This article is relevant to human resource practices, specifically the selection methods
used in different organizations today. The article finds monitoring employees’ or potential
candidates social media accounts as invasive of privacy. Digital interviews and online tests also
made prospective employees conscious of their online presence as they do not want to share
content that may be unacceptable to potential employers. Rather than checking what people post
in their accounts, employers should implement more ways of assessing an applicant’s suitability
to a given position that does not necessarily involve invading their privacy and digging into
content posted years ago. I find the arguments presented in the article relevant to modern-day HR
practices. As employers adopt more technological tools in the workplace, they seem unconcerned
about employees’ right to privacy.
Overall, the article asserts that central to understanding employees’ privacy concerns is to
first learn more about preferences related to privacy. The authors note that this may be difficult
as sometimes people’s privacy behaviors are incongruent with their privacy preferences. The
privacy paradox is a major issue for human resource managers. However, the article encourages
HR managers to follow data privacy laws and ensure that their interpretations of such laws seek
to protect the privacy of their employees even as they collect and store private information from
them.

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References

Bhave, D. P., Teo, L. H., & Dalal, R. S. (2020). Privacy at work: A review and a research agenda
for a contested terrain. Journal of Management, 46(1), 127-164.