Technology,workplace privacy and personhood

This paper traces the intellectual development of the workplace privacy construct in the course of American thinking. The role of technological development in this process is examined, particularly in regard to the information gathering/dissemination dilemmas faced by employers and employees alike. The paper concludes with some preliminary considerations toward a theory of workplace privacy.William S. Brown is assistant professor of Management at Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts. Prior to entering academia he had over 17 years human resource management experience in the corporate headquarters of Fortune-ranked firms such as the Prudential Insurance Company of America and Philip Morris, Inc. as well as in non-profits as Barnard College, Columbia University and the Pittsburgh Board of Education. He has published in various professional journals and practitioner magazines.