If a co-worker and I were written up for having a relationship outside of work, do I have any legal grounds for the CFO telling others about our personal information?
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If a co-worker and I were written up for having a relationship outside of work, do I have any legal grounds for the CFO telling others about our personal information?
We were given 2 weeks to decide whether to keep the relationship and have her be terminated or stop the relationship. During that time the CFO/ owner that wrote us up told another employee what happened and that she was going to demote me and put him in my position. During their conversation another employee walked up and heard the conversation at which time he was told by her to keep his mouth shut.
Asked on June 27, 2015 under Employment Labor Law, Georgia
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
Employees generally have no right to privacy in the workplace. The 2 exceptions would be if this disclosure violated HIPPA (i.e. unlawful disclosure of a medical condition, etc.), or if the disclosure was of such a nature as to constitute defamation. Absent that, there is no legal mandate for an employer to keep the circumstances of an employee's private life private. While it was unprofessional behavior it was legal behavior.
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