California Penal Code 632 PC doesn’t allow recording to someone confidential conversation without their consent. One area where such laws are violated is in the workplace.

Though Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) allows recording a business call, it doesn’t allow for private conversations.

If your employer listened and recorded your communication as a group of employees without your consent, you may have a claim. You can protect your interests by consulting class action attorney Los Angeles.

Eavesdropping At Workplace

Eavesdropping at the workplace is when an employer or another employee listens to private conversations and records them without the other party’s consent. The conversation must be in a place where the party deems it safe.

Everyone has a right to privacy at the workplace. Unfortunately, not every employee knows of such rights.

There is a lot of a grey area regarding what may be considered confidential at the workplace. However, the law is clear on this. For any recording of conversations, there must be some legitimate business reasons.

The law protects employees from being listened to and recorded while at work. There are many ways by which employers can eavesdrop through:

• Phone calls:An employer can monitor employee communication to ensure they deliver the best customer service. But if the call is personal, no recording should be done. But it may take a few minutes to realize a call is personal.

An employer can only get employees personal information if employees know such a call is being monitored.

• Videotaping:Before any on job taping, the employer must notify the employee about taking any action.
• Voice mails:The ECPA protects employees from access to private voice mail messages.
• Computer activity:This may include viewing web browsers or reading their emails using an internet connection.

Studies show that employers eavesdrop on around 400 million phone calls yearly. If this has happened to you as a group of employees, you need to take legal action.

Why You Should File A Class Action lawsuit

If you are a group of employees whose private conversation was recorded by your employer, you may have a claim. You can join hands to file a class-action lawsuit.

However, before filing your claim, you have to prove that:

• The conversation was not job-related: The ECPA allows employers to record convention for business purpose.
• The conversation was confidential.
• Your employer never obtained the consent.

Note that there are many cases where listening to or recording employee’s information without consent may not qualify for eavesdropping. It’s therefore advisable to seek a lawyer to guide you on whether the claim is valid.

The law also applies to an employee who records other employees without consent. In this case, a two-party consent policy may apply.

Not every eavesdropping is illegal. If your employer did it for a good reason, such as to make sure the workplace is free from illegal activities or ensure the work is well done, such may not amount to a claim.

If you have any concerns about eavesdropping at the workplace, you can speak to an employment lawyer.