Legal Question in Employment Law in Wisconsin

don't I have a right to privacy?

I disagreed with a policy in my dept. and followed our company manual's ''Fair Practice Policy'' (FPP) procedure and wrote a letter to the head of Human Resources. On the env. I wrote ''Personal & Confidential'' and his sec. said he opened all his own mail. The FPP said the head of Human Resources would talk to the parties involved and make a decision about whether it was an unfair matter. He showed the letter to the manager of my department. I did not intend for anyone to read the letter except for the head of Human Resources. I put some private things in it that I did not intend for my manager to see or know. She got very angry. The work atmostphere has been bad ever since.

Then, rec. our dept.was given a survey, told it was confidential. Nothing had been settled from the problem before. I went to Hum. Res. and spoke to the lady who had handed out the surveys and told her what went on before, how I thought the way it was handled was unprofessional, etc., how things had escalated now & that my thoughts would not fit on the survey so I was telling her in person. She had told us our surveys were anonymous but she went to my manager and told the manager what I said. I didn't intend for her to go back to my manager. Privacy breech?


Asked on 5/04/05, 12:10 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mark Mahoney Cassiani Law Office, Wise Shepherd Law Office

Re: don't I have a right to privacy?

Hello,

I do not have all the facts of your case, and am not being paid for my counsel, so I will only answer in generalities that may or may not apply to your situation. In general, employees have no right to privacy in a corporation. If an employee tells another employee anything, they might as well be telling the whole company. An employee or department might even promise not to tell anyone else, but if they change their mind, you are out of luck. The lesson is to be very careful about what you say to whom. You can be right, but fired for no reason. No right to privacy for things you say to employees about the company or its people, to anyone.

Best wishes, Mark J. Mahoney

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Answered on 5/04/05, 12:29 am


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