Big Brother is Watching You

Big brother is watching you, it's just that he takes different forms, including the corporations that we work for. The letter below is in response to my company's new background check policy.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this letter to express my discontent with the background checks that are being imposed on the employees of XXX (NOTE: I do not work for company XXX), including myself. This policy change was presented and sold to us primarily for our benefit and "our protection". Shouldn't we feel safer that all of our co-workers passed a background check and are not certified whack jobs? To paraphrase the words of XXX's legal council, "you read in the news every 6-months or so about a disgruntled employee going into the work place and shooting up the place." This is a callous ploy and fear-mongering. Furthermore, anecdotally speaking, background checks would not prevent this type of tragedy from happening. People don't feel safer; rather we feel that our rights are violated and further eroded. Last year it was a new drug policy, this year background checks. What's next, credit reports?

The legal system instituted in this country is setup such that if you commit a crime and serve your time; then you are permitted to work and live in society again. By XXX instituting a background check policy you are, essentially, admitting that the legal system does not work. We are constantly being asked (forced) to fit a more stringent profile. We are humans, humans make mistakes and we pay consequences for them, but this is without reason.

Because it's a condition of employment and I believe in and am proud of the work we do here at XXX, I will sign the consent form; but obviously not without reservations. I'd suggest reading George Orwell's 1984 – the parallels are quite striking.