Employees’ Data Protection in the Workplace and its Legal Implications A Comparative Overview of EU’s Legal Framework.

Abstract

It is often argued that protection of employees' data and privacy is one of the key issues of employment relationships. Recent advanced technologies have provided the employer with vast opportunities to enquire about workers' personal life as well as record many data. It is worth pointing out that now is common for an employee to use his house as workplace or ask his colleagues as "friend" on Facebook or other social media, and share vast information on himself, both professional and private. It is evident that most of this information may be divulged to the employer, and in most cases it represents a dilemma on how to manage employee's interests and draw a boundary between "personal" and "professional" life.