The intrusion of privacy in the workplace

This is a technical question in today's digital era, and it can be based on individuals' perspectives; how the employees and employers see it may not tally. Is it necessary? Oops, I don't think so. Let me answer based on my job experience. As a government worker, you are not allowed to post anything that's against the government so that the opponents will not make a fuss about it. Consequently, they monitor you, and when they notice something unusual, they quickly draw your attention to it and ask you to withdraw it immediately. However, submitting one social media handle is not a thing they requested.

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Recently, a lot of abnormal things have been happening in my place of work that I feel are wrong. A colleague was called to a panel over a video she made in school, and she was issued a serious warning. Everybody was surprised to see the level at which they monitor our privacy. How can you judge me based on my personal life?

I own my phone, and I can do anything with it. My direct boss has spies who help her monitor the personal lives of other colleagues in a direction that feels both intrusive and unjust. The government did not send them, they only wanted to act as a no-nonsense authority. I was not getting it, and others felt the same because we questioned how our personal lives should be a problem. She is fond of using your status as a topic in the meeting which I feel is not normal at all.

If my social handle is requested at my workplace, I would count it as a blatant invasion of my privacy. Why do we need to mix up work life and personal life? They are two different things. There's a saying that goes thus: if the government is not making you happy, then you should make yourself happy not by engaging in negativities but by doing the right thing.

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Will this serve as a way to ensure the image of the organization? I learned that some companies demand this just to protect their public image and ensure that their organization is safe from controversies. But at what cost? There should be something called personal.

Would you be willing to submit that part of your life to your employer if demanded? I am not going to do that. My personal life is my life, and work is work; they are two separate domains. Submitting my personal information means I am releasing my autonomy and giving up my life for the job. They don’t have to know too much about my personal life, my private life is not their business. I simply won’t submit it!

What if submitting my social handle was all that stood between me and my dream job? If a job offer hinges on such an invasive requirement, then perhaps my ideal position lies elsewhere. Sometimes, we need to experience disappointment to be appointed in the right place. It’s essential to maintain a boundary between our professional responsibilities and personal freedoms. After all, a healthy work environment should respect individual privacy rather than seeking to control it. The privacy of one another should be respected.

The images are sourced.

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