The Director of Human Resources at ABC Corp. received a copy of the monitoring data regarding employee Internet use. ABC installed a program that monitors the company computers they provide to some of their employees. The data shows that Harry Henderson, from the Accounting Department, has been accessing gambling sites during the workweek. The data provided to the Director shows user activity for the last month and Harry has accessed gambling sites daily.

The Director called Harry in for a meeting and questioned him about the monitoring data. She expressed her disappointment that he would blemish his ten-year tenure with ABC by accessing "inappropriate" websites. Harry argues that his computer, located in his personal office with a door that he locks every night, is in an area where he expects his privacy to be respected and is appalled by the "Big Brother" behavior. He further stated that he only went on the gambling sites during his lunch or rest breaks. This assertion is corroborated by the data.

Finally, there is no evidence that his work product has decreased or has been negatively affected. Harry's most current evaluation is satisfactory and consistent with his past evaluations.

Is Harry's expectation of privacy legitimate? Explain. Would you discipline Harry? Please incorporate the concepts of "progressive discipline" and "provider exception".

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Harrys expectation of privacy is influenced by the fact that he uses a computer in a personal office with a locked door creating a reasonable assumpti... View the full answer