Publication
Texas Business Court: What you need to know on day one
In June 2023, the Texas Legislature enacted legislation creating a new trial court and a new court of appeals with jurisdiction over certain complex business disputes.
Canada | Publication | September 4, 2020 - 10 AM ET
Due to COVID-19, teleworking has become the new norm in Canada and many parts of the world. In the traditional physical workplace, employers are generally permitted to take certain reasonable steps to observe or supervise what employees are doing throughout the day. In part, this is because the workplace is not considered a private space and it is normally reasonable for employers to exert control over what employees do in the workplace in the general course of their employment-related duties.
However, in a teleworking world, an employer’s right or ability to monitor its employees is less clear. For teleworking employees, the lines between personal space and personal information, and work-related space and work information can often be blurred. For this reason, it is important for employers to take into account a number of considerations when monitoring teleworking employees while minimizing liability concerns.
Employment-related monitoring technologies have been used by employers for some time. While these technologies are not new, applying these technologies to teleworking employees is relatively novel. The most typical monitoring technologies focus on monitoring computer, email, and telephone usage to assist in determining when employees are actively working and when they are not. Some employers utilize network software that can monitor the network, internet, and email usage of a large group of employee users, including recording the amount of time users are idle and not working, the frequency of internet surfing, and rates of incoming and outgoing emails and phone calls.
Using employment-related monitoring technologies has a number of benefits both for assisting in supervising employees working remotely and otherwise. Most commonly, monitoring technologies are used to keep track of log-in times and employee assiduity. These technologies can also provide employers with information on efficiency and productivity, network performance, and compliance with employer policies and applicable laws. Additionally, these technologies can assist employers in meeting their legal obligations in a remote working environment such as protecting the confidentiality of business information, and keeping records of work hours and overtime to comply with employment standards.
Moreover, employers can use such technologies to signal potential human rights issues related to employees. For example, a situation where an employee should, but has not, logged on for a notable period of time may signal to the employer that something is not okay, and in some cases, may trigger a duty to inquire under applicable human rights legislation or other laws, including with respect to mental health. This is especially the case where there’s a reasonable belief an employee may be suffering from a mental health disability, including addiction.
These above-discussed forms of monitoring technologies differ, however, from more controversial technologies that can be referred to as “content monitoring” or “spyware.” Technologies that allow employers to intercept communications, scan or capture images for content, monitor keystrokes, or covertly listen into phone calls are much more invasive and may be found overly intrusive and not justified for general use depending on the circumstances.
In a nutshell
In Canada, privacy law is governed by legislation, the common law, Quebec’s civil law, as well as employment contracts and collective agreements. The federal jurisdiction, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec all have provincial privacy legislation that governs the protection of personal information in the context of employment. As for Ontario, there is no overarching provincial privacy legislation governing the protection of employee personal information.
However, in 2016, the Ontario Court of Appeal recognized a tort of privacy invasion called “intrusion upon seclusion.” which may impose requirements on employers akin to those found in other jurisdictions. Without specific legislation on the issue in Ontario, the guiding principles flowing from the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act are generally followed by employers in order to minimize risk and liability in this area. Undoubtedly, the application of privacy laws will depend on the factual matrix of any given situation. Employees may also have a reasonable expectation of privacy by virtue of a contract or collective agreement.
Monitoring teleworking employees can, in some cases, also have fundamental and human rights implications. Specifically in Quebec, privacy is included as a human right under the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Quebec Charter also enacts protections against unfair and unsafe working conditions that endanger health, safety and physical integrity.
Further, the Quebec Civil Code expressly provides for the right to privacy. The Civil Code provides that specific situations may be considered invasions of privacy, and one example is entering and taking anything in a person’s dwelling, intentionally intercepting a person’s private communications or keeping a person’s private life under observation by any means.
Use of company devices and teleworking
In contrast to the physical workplace, the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy for teleworking employees is much more nuanced, as the lines between work and personal space can become blurred. Whether or not a teleworking employee has a reasonable expectation of privacy will depend on a constellation of factors, including whether or not they are using company or personal equipment and what level of monitoring an employer wishes to use. Indeed, the case law suggests an employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy depends on the “totality of the circumstances,” which generally includes the following:
For teleworking, some employers have provided employees with company-owned devices with which to complete their work, while others may rely on employees to use personal devices, such as computers and phones.
In terms of company-owned devices, generally speaking, even where some personal use is allowed, employees may have a diminished but reasonable expectation of privacy for such use. When it comes to using employee personal devices to accomplish work, the law in this area remains fact specific and nebulous. Notably, however, the Supreme Court of Canada has held that, “[i]t is difficult to imagine a more intrusive invasion of privacy than the search of one’s home and personal computer.”1 That being said, while ownership is a relevant consideration in assessing an employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy, it is not always determinative.
Indeed, other relevant and important considerations when assessing an employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy may include the employer’s policies, practices, and customs. As the Supreme Court of Canada has noted, “[t]hese ‘operational realities’ may diminish the expectation of privacy that reasonable employees might otherwise have in their personal information.”2 But, as with ownership of the device being used, written policies alone are not always determinative and are generally considered together with the totality of the circumstances.
Perhaps one of the chief considerations when contemplating the implementation of monitoring technologies for teleworking employees is their consent. Consent, in most cases, may be implicitly or expressly obtained. In any case, the prudent employer would strive for transparency with employees, including with respect to monitoring techniques and expectations.
Government-provided guidance
To mitigate potential risks in this area, employers should bear in mind some guidelines as best practices. For instance, the privacy commissioners of Canada, Alberta, and British Columbia promote certain guidelines on obtaining meaningful consent from employees. While other jurisdictions are not necessarily bound by these guidelines, employers who plan to monitor their employees in any way should be aware of these best practices. The guidelines include:
In light of the privacy and human rights issues discussed above, employers may wish to carefully consider either creating or revising their existing applicable policies. To that end, some considerations employers can keep in mind include the following:
1. Develop a plan
2. Develop a policy
3. Consult with employees
As it can be expected that many employees will continue to work remotely, on a part- or full-time basis, it can also be expected that their reliance on technology, including company-owned equipment, such as cell phones, computers, and more will continue. Given this reality, employers would be well served to promote a culture of transparency and trust with employees. Not only can this serve to facilitate consent, but there is evidence in the literature indicating that a strong employer-employee bond of trust and clear and meaningful communication can contribute to a more harmonious and respectful work environment.
The authors would like to thank summer students Emma Hammer, Elizabeth Kazakov and Florence Picard for their contributions to this legal update.
Publication
In June 2023, the Texas Legislature enacted legislation creating a new trial court and a new court of appeals with jurisdiction over certain complex business disputes.
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