Surveillance in the workplace
If employers have their way they will soon
be testing more than your patience. Companies are becoming more and
more keen on alcohol, drug and genetic testing at work. They monitor
your email, your phone calls, your work rate and your whereabouts.
Hazards warns this scrutiny is a dangerous distraction that will
be bad for your safety and privacy, and argues it may be their company,
but your body is your business.
Impaired thinking Britain’s
employers have a big drug and alcohol problem. They are wasting millions
on testing and firing workers. Hazards says providing support
and a healthier working environment would provide a cheaper and more
effective resolution to the bad working conditions causing worker
impairment. Hazards
100, November 2007
Workers'
health information Your employer can no longer play fast and
loose with your health information. A firm could be breaking the law
if it fails to respect new rules on workers' privacy. And the new
code warns them to think twice about the health records they hold
and the hoops they ask you to leap through, whether this is health
screening, medical, drug, alcohol or genetic tests.
Code read,
Hazards 89, January-March
2005
Workplace
privacy: You'll never work alone.
Some employers film, record or monitor your every action in the workplace,
employ private detectives to follow you or to set you up. Employer
snooping is not just bad for your privacy, it is very bad for your
health at work.
Hazards special
report
• TUC
workplace privacy website
• Toiletbreaks
• Hazards 85 feature [pdf]
The
drug testing habit: The drug tests
don't work, but that's not stopping employers. Hazards argues
for sensible drug and alcohol policies.
Testing times, Hazards
special report and Hazards 84 feature [pdf]
• Hazards
drink and drugs webpage.
