Spy-their-Man

Back-channel referencing or pre-qualifying candidates using social media and internet has been accepted by many organizations as a smart way of doing background checks. They elimintae the potentially unfit candidates even efore they are involved in the selection process, hence saving considerable time and cost.

But it seems some organizations have overdone it and started using social media sites like facebook to pry or spy on their employees.

A recent economic times news states that 'A UK body has warned employers that they could end up being sued for discrimination if they use websites like Facebook to spy on the private lives of their workers. Acas, the body that helps improve relationships with workers, issued a new guide that urges employers not to be "heavy-handed" by penalising staff for unprofessional comments on websites. It has also warned employers about the risks of "Googling" potential recruits and using any personal information gleaned from the Internet such as a person's religious beliefs.'

There is a thin line between background checks and spying on the lives of employees. Individual right to protect his/her privacy is his/her choice that must never be dictated or flouted. Organization must be smart enough not to do the same. Infringing on a person privacy will progressively disengage him/her.