Wednesday, December 3, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST
Playback: Monday, December 8, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

Michael Lynk

Arbitrator/Mediator

Nini Jones

Union Counsel
Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein

David Law

Employer Counsel
Emond Harnden

ISSUES:

Employees increasingly operate a range of electronic devices, including computers, cellphones and Blackberries, in the course of their duties, and they may also use these devices for non-work-related purposes - to access information on the internet, store personal information, send e-mails, blog, etc.. As a result, employers are increasingly faced with issues regarding how best to monitor and control employee usage, and prevent employee misconduct in cyberspace, while encouraging productivity and efficiency, and providing an adequate degree of privacy to its employees. Our panel of experts will guide participants through the vast network of employers' and employees' rights and obligations in relation to the use, and often abuse, of computers and other technologies in the internet age. Topics include:

• Monitoring of employees' internet and e-mail usage: Do employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to e-mail messages, text messages, and personal files, such as bank statements, stored on employer-owned computers or phones? What if they are expected to carry devices such as Blackberries, cellphones or laptops while traveling or to their homes? What about information stored on a third-party's server?
• Do employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to items they have deleted from employer-owned devices?
• Can employees assert any expectation of privacy where an employer has a policy banning all personal use of employer-owned equipment?
• What constitutes internet or e-mail abuse and when does it warrant discipline?
• When is it appropriate to discipline employees for views posted on Facebook, blogs and other internet sites, both during and after working hours?
• What impact does privacy legislation have on the monitoring of computers and other electronic devices both inside and outside the workplace?
• What elements should be set out in a company's policies regarding the usage of computer and other electronic devices? What information should be provided to employees concerning the scope of monitoring and surveillance? Is consent required? And if so, how can it best be obtained?

Listeners who register for this audio conference might also be interested in: Workplace Technology Update: The latest techniques for monitoring, and for evaluating electronic information

$195, plus GST (Registrations must be paid in advance of the audio conference). Registration costs are per listening site/telephone, so you can have any number of people listening at your location for one low price. Click here for registration information.