Big Brother is watching YOU
Employers are worming their way into their employees' lives in a number of devious and sinister ways. Intrusion often begins with the application process. Many employers force applicants to sign affidavits (of questionable legal authority) pledging not to smoke or drink or even to engage in "dangerous" activities such as riding a motorcycle off the job.
Other tactics nosy employers use to control their workers' lives are "carrot" or "stick" incentives. A Harris poll of 1,175 executives found 86 percent thought it "acceptable" to charge workers more for their insurance if they engage in "unhealthy" habits, such as smoking or eating fried food.
If neither carrot nor stick work, some firms resort to outright spying. Six smokers were fired after security cameras spotted them having a sly puff outside their Motorola office building in Bathgate, England. Motorola forces employees who smoke to do so only inside their own cars.
Someone has even figured out a way to make some money off all this intrusion. Now there's a whole industry of professional, nanny-state "wellness companies" that root out and promise to change the "undesirable" behavior of a firm's employees. Think that idea could get out of hand?
