An increasing number of employers have begun demanding private login information to applicants’ social media accounts. In the U.S., such practices may be a breach of privacy, however; there is no law in Singapore that guarantees employee privacy. Although this may change in the future, employers now are legally free to monitor their employees through any means – including tracking Internet history, e-mails, chat sessions and file downloads. Some companies even use GPS tracking on company devices to check on employee location. As a result of this lack of legislation, nothing is sacred when it comes to employee privacy – not even employees’ social network accounts. Employers may not need to worry about legal ramifications, but employee privacy is still a minefield that should be approached with caution. With the boundary between an employee’s personal and professional line is getting increasingly unclear, it is important that HR professionals do draw a line and stick to it. The best way to do this is to institute a social media policy and provide training and resources for employees to turn to.
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