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Do other employees have the right?

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csporluck

Member
I am currently working with US Forces overseas, though the state my company is out of is Colorado.

Today I was writing a personal e-mail, on my own computer, to a private person (non-military, not a co-worker of the same company either). A co-worker who I have disagreements with, and who continually "hits" us here at work, felt he had the right to read my personal e-mails as I typed them. He did so shiftly at that (looked at his screen, read through the corner of his eyes, etc..). He feels I was sexually harrassing him because of comments that I made... He is in no position to be monitoring network traffic or e-mail... he isn't a network security person, nor was my e-mail sent via the exchange server he is responsible for. In fact, he has no proof an e-mail was even sent, other than if he admits to searching through someone elses computer.

Yes, these computers are on a military network.
No, he is in no position to be monitoring non-military e-mail traffic.
Yes, he has been told by several people to quit with the sexual innuendos, advancements.. etc..
He IS an American Contractor like the rest of us, falling under the same guidlines...

Question I guess I have, is since he was violating my personal space (computer), does he have any ground to cause trouble?
 


pattytx

Senior Member
You have no right of privacy when at work, using the company's equipment. Many companies block access to private email providers, such as aol and yahoo. What do your company's policies regarding Internet usage say?
It may have been tacky for another employee to "look over your shoulder", but, at least to my knowledge, there is no right of "personal space" in the work environment unless the approach is physically threatening.
 

BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
YOu are damn lucky you were not immediately sent home without benefits or recourse. If you had been in my employ under contract to my military authority, you would not only have been sent home, but to a little town in Kansas NOT known for its wheat fields.

ANY use of military equipment for personal purposes would have opened you to military judicial punishment up to and including confinement for up to 15 years.

And just in case you think it's not a serious issue, my contract fell under N.A.T.O. and took place four levels below the earth under a field of 25 antenna.
 

csporluck

Member
Not government equipment.

the person who feels I'm harrassing him is mad that I'm making complaints against him for making sexual advancements towards us co-workers.. of which everyone can provide testamony to. He feels my accusations of him making sexual advances is in fact Sexual Harrasment.
 

BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
csporluck said:
Not government equipment.

the person who feels I'm harrassing him is mad that I'm making complaints against him for making sexual advancements towards us co-workers.. of which everyone can provide testamony to. He feels my accusations of him making sexual advances is in fact Sexual Harrasment.
First off, you are really deluded. I don't care if it's your personal computer, paid for by your company or sent like manna from heaven. Under the contract your company signed with the U.S. Military, any equipment employed in the functions of a contract where the contracting authority is the U.S. Government or a branch thereof, is subject to the same legal and administrative rules and regulations as if owned by the contracting authority.

So that argument is void.

As to your next assertion that it was sexual harrassment, that too falls short of the legal definition.

Now, any other points you want to make in this fishing expedition?
There's plenty of room left in leavenworth.
 

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