Maryland Mass. Michigan Minnesota Miss. Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hamp. New York N. Carolina N. Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Penn. By Jeff Mathias Employees' privacy rights have become a greater concern in recent years, in large part because of the increasing reliance on e-mail in the office.
Courts recognize the tension between two competing interests.
One is the right of employers to control their companies without excessive legal burdens. The other is the protection of individual rights. Neither interest takes complete precedence over the other. People have very high expectations of privacy, for example, with respect to their bodies, homes, purses and pockets. Accordingly, the right to privacy is strongest in these areas.