Survey underscores gap in employer/employee BYOD privacy expectations

According to a recent survey from MobileIron, more than 4 in 5 employees in the US, UK, and Germany use their personal mobile phone or tablet for work. However, only 30% trust that their employer won’t go snooping into personal information on that device. But nearly the same percentage, 28%, take comfort in their belief that their employer can’t view corporate email sent and received on their personal device.

[In unrelated news, 28% of your workforce is dumber than these two.]

Ultimately, MobileIron concluded that employees consistently underestimate the visibility their employers have into company data, and consistently overestimate the visibility their employers have into personal data.

So how can employers assuage their workers’ BYOD privacy concerns? The survey suggests that the three mitigation actions that matter most to employees center on better communication:

1. Explain in detail the purpose of the employer seeing certain information
2. Promise in writing that the employer will only look at work information
3. Provide written notification of what the employer can and can’t see

Personally, I suggest nominating The Employer Handbook, for the ABA Blawg 100 Amici, its annual list of the 100 best legal blogs, which you can do here. The connection may seem a bit attenuated now. But, it’ll make more sense after you vote; especially if you are in the 28%.

Trust me.