b'Common Situations: What Should I Do:Employee lockers:Acme Lock and Safe provides lockers for its Good: Have a policy putting employees on notice of what privacy employees to store their personal items, but allows employeesrights, if any, you allow in your place of employment with respect tousetheirownpersonallock. Acmehasnowrittenpolicyto personal space, Internet usage, email, and phones.regardingprivacyintheworkplace.Oneday,thecompany suspects that someone is stealing locks. They cut all the locksBetter: In addition to a policy, employers should have employees off employee lockers and search. Mia stores her purse in herconsent to searches of personal space, listening in on business locker and the company rifles through it finding nothing. Can Miacalls in the office, and consent to provide access to all types of sue Acme for violation of her privacy? Yes. Even though Acmedata (voicemails, texts, Internet site usage, photos, and video) owns the lockers, it permitted the employee to develop a senseon company issued or reimbursed cell phones.of privacy by using her own lock without maintaining a key.Best: Maintain a policy and obtain advance consents as noted Concealandcarry:Anemployerinstitutesapolicyagainstabove, but layer over that with consent to be signed by the employeesbringinggunsintotheworkplace.Joedoesnotemployeeatthetimeofthesearchdoublingupprotection believe this policy applies to him because he has a concealedagainst an argument that you forced the search. carry license and his employer does not have the state required notice to prevent him from carrying into the office. The employer discovers Joe is still bringing a weapon into the office and fires him. Has the employer violated his rights? Though firing Joe without a chance to correct his misapprehension might be a bit severe, it does not violate his rights. An employer may set policies for employees about bringing weapons in the workplace without following the state notice requirements, though it is good to clarify this point in the policy.Privacy in the parking lot: An employer believes that one of itsemployeesissneakingoutsecretcompanyplansinthe employees car. The employer has a policy regarding searches onemployerpropertyanddemandstheemployeeprovide access to his car so that the employer may inspect it. Does the employer have the right to examine an employees car? It depends. If the employer owns or leases the parking lot as part of its space, it can extend its search policy to the car, assuming the employee consents. If not, the demand is inappropriate. 64'