Protecting Employee Privacy and Security in the Age of Digital Performance Monitoring: A Legal Comparative Analysis of Post-Communist Countries – Poland, Croatia, and the Republic of North Macedonia

• Authors: Dorota Domalewska , Sanja Tišma , Katerina Veljanovska

Abstracts

EN

In the context of rapidly increasing digital performance monitoring in the workplace, concerns over employee privacy and ethical considerations arise. This tension between organizational control and employee privacy becomes especially complex in postcommunist societies like Poland, Croatia, and the Republic of North Macedonia, which have a history of state surveillance and control. Drawing on various academic sources and employing a doctrinal-legal method, this study examines how cultural, historical, and legal factors shape perceptions and protections of privacy. It also analyzes the legal frameworks of privacy rights in the workplace. The research reveals that post-communist legacies influence public attitudes towards digital privacy, which is reflected in a low interest in digital privacy in these countries and legislation that lags behind rapid technological advancements. Despite their EU-aligned legislation that provides guidelines for ethical data collection and surveillance, an ambivalent perception of privacy exists among citizens, influenced by their history of state surveillance and control. All three countries have specific legislations that encompass civil, criminal, administrative, and labor law to protect privacy in the workplace. The study concludes with policy recommendations, emphasizing the need for ongoing legislative scrutiny to strike a balance between privacy protection and a stable and secure work environment.

Keywords

EN

digital performance monitoring; employee privacy; surveillance; GDPR; ethics

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek
• Journal: Polish Political Science Yearbook
• Year: 2025
• Issue: 2(54)
• Pages: 51-68

Dates

published

2025

Contributors

author

Dorota Domalewska

• War Studies University (Poland)

• https://orcid.org/0000000217881591

author

Sanja Tišma

• Institute for Development and International Relations IRMO (Croatia)

• https://orcid.org/0000000264072842

author

Katerina Veljanovska

• Blazhevska MIT University (North Macedonia)

• https://orcid.org/0000000199937618

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Identifiers

DOI

10.15804/ppsy202518

Biblioteka Nauki

62644810