TO: Susan Williams

FROM: Kailah Longsworth

DATE: 6th September, 2017
SUBJECT: The Privacy Policy Memorandum

Workers often abuse the resources offered, by employers, for personal use. The battle between
employees and employers of what should be kept private is one key factor in the introduction of
privacy policies. Gregory Hamel, of Chron, describes the privacy policy in the work place as the
extent to which employers monitor and retrieve information on the activities, communications,
and private lives of workers.

Employees Expectation of the Privacy Policy

Employees often confuse their rights with the policies of the organizations. In interviews
conducted with various employees from different workplaces, one main expectation is:

Their personal lives should be kept private. A junior accountant highlighted that, Whatever
happens in their personal lives is of no use to the organization unless it interferes with the
progress of the company. In contrast to what the junior accountant believes, employees
personal lives should be kept private; however, as a part of an organization, employees should
carry themselves in a certain manner because an employee doesnt represent him/herself only but
rather the organization as a whole.

Privacy Policy relating to Emails and Internet Access

According to various employees, their emails and internet access history are kept for whenever
the employer sees fit to check. A Bank Teller said, Atlantic bank doesnt have internet access
because there are specific sites granted in relation to the work being done. As a form of keeping
updates on the activities of employees in the work place, Atlantic Bank has 1 site that the
employees can visit, ATLA; there is no internet access.

The Marketing Manager, from Coco Plum, stated, Employees emails and internet access is
scarcely reviewed; however, if there is a problem in the computer system, the employer takes
that opportunity to go through the history of its employees internet and email access. She also
stated that, Social Media sites are blocked from the server.

From an Internship conducted at The Belize Telemedia Limited, I observed that despite having
their own system for employee to work on the internet access to social media sites are not
blocked; however, if the supervisor notices the internet is being abused for personal use and
becomes a distraction, it is brought to your attention privately as a warning.
The privacy policy works 2 ways: the expectations of the employer and that of the employees;
however, the policy is often tested when the difference between what you have a right to do and
what is right to do is lost. The marketing manager, from the Coco Plum Island Resort, stressed
that Employees often forget that the workplace is not their personal home further on stating
that Employees should expect privacy from employers regarding their personal life; therefore,
separating their work lives from their private lives is important. Work related tasks should be
done at work; furthermore, anything out of that should be kept personally or if time off is needed
communication with your employer is of value.
 References

Interviews conducted (September 4, 2017):

Junior accountant, Belize City (Source decided to keep the name of the business
confidential to not overstep any of the privacy boundaries), Belize City.

Bank Teller, Atlantic Bank Ltd., Albert Street, Belize City.

Marketing Manager, Coco Plum Resort, Dangriga. (Head office) Interviewed via
Telephone

Online Sources:

Gregory Hamel, Chron (Information retrieved September 5, 2017)