Is it against the law for my employer to listen to my private phone calls? They were made on a company phone.?

Answer 1

It depends on a few factors. When your employer hired you, did you sign paperwork allowing them to monitor phone calls or prohibiting you from making private phone calls?

The webpage listed below provides useful information in what an employer is allowed to do, given what their justification is, as well as what steps they must take to be able to legally monitor calls.

Answer 2

There is your answer, they were made on a company phone. Look up the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. It basically says that if you do something on office equipment, you do not have an expectation of privacy. There have been some challenges to this and they all end up favoring the business. As a rule of thumb, I never say or write anything on company equipment that I would not want our CEO to hear. That goes for private e-mail accounts (yahoo, hotmail) that are accessed on company property.

Answer 3

My employer listened to phone messages I made from my home phone while I was at home to a hospital patient advocate office not a part of my employers work place. I was assisting a friend who was relaying information regarding rights violations by the hospital to the patient advocate. The friend sees a psychiatrist where I work but I am not involved with the friends case. The hospital found out who I was and contacted my employer and invited them to listen to my voice mails stating that I had made statements that I was acting on behalf of my employer. This was not true and the hospital only wanted to retaliate for my assisting a friend with their violations of rights. I am pretty sure that my employer is not legally able to listen to voice mails I left from my home to an agency outside of my employer without my permission.

Answer 4

The conversation is only private if you're the one paying the phone bill. I've been in the corporate world long enough to know that nothing you do is private in the workplace, including net surfing, email, phone calls, instant messages, etc. Watch your back. I've seen people (good people) get fired for doing personal things on company time.

Answer 5

If it's company time and company phone, it's a company phone call and they can listen to it if they choose. You should never expect any privact at work except in the bathroom. When they are paying you, you belong to them.

Answer 6

No, it would not be against the law. Some people call it
"Big Brother is watching, or listening". They can watch your Internet or telephone use.

Answer 7

Completely Legal. They all do it now. Most people make their phone calls on their cell phones to avoid this.

Answer 8

He can if it is his phone line. Although he may be checking to see if you are working or chatting. So he may not be interested in what you are talking about just if you are working.

Answer 9

personal and private calls should not be done on company time....you put yourself in the position of your boss checking on you...the boss is paying you for working not personal calls.....