I have a private office on the patient floor. The door has a clear glass window. I had a shade over the window to protect patient health information and employee privacy. In my office is where I would “discipline” or educate my staff. The CEO decided we are going to have a more transparent approach and had all the blinds to the offices removed. How do I protect my employees while providing disciplinary actions in the future? Don’t they deserve privacy in these types of issues? Are there any laws to protect them in these cases?
Rita Risser Chai replies:
Is the only reason you bring your employees into your office to discipline them? Do you yell or scream at them? Are they bursting into tears? If the answer to any of these is “yes,” you have a problem—and it’s not just the privacy issue. For a normal, everyday discipline conversation, no one on the outside looking in should be able to tell what it is going on. Therefore, it’s not an invasion of privacy.
Posted 09-23-2019
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