9) We've all heard that employers can legally read our emails and listen to our calls, but is it against the law for an employer to monitor what you do in your free-time?

The interest a company takes in what employees do in their free-time, also called off-the-job surveillance can range from being concerned about the fact that a key executive has taken up sky diving and might jeopardize the company's future to worrying that your growing fondness for junk food is going to drive up medical insurance costs for the group. Grappling with soaring medical insurance costs is cited most frequently by employers who inquire about how an employee behaves in his own home.

A handful of states have passed laws specifically prohibiting workplace discrimination against employees who engage in legal activities. But in most states firing an employee for smoking at home, drinking in a bar, or even having cholesterol levels that are too high is defensible. The trick, however, is that your employer can't follow you home. He can only ask you about what you do (or pick up on any casual comment that you make around the office).

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