A U.S.-based employer faced legal consequences after it terminated a remote employee in the Netherlands who refused to keep his camera on for the whole nine-hour workday. The Dutch Court held that the dismissal of the employee was illegal, in part, because the employer violated the employee’s right to a private life. This case highlights how employers run risks when they oversee the productivity of remote employees and the use of technology in doing so. While employers seek to manage the virtual workplace, they may come into conflict with their employees’ desires to maintain privacy—especially in this complex and evolving area of employment.
