Your boss is watching you...

But according to the latest survey from law firm Allen & Overy, only two-thirds of firms have any kind of data privacy policy, meaning that a significant percentage of companies are breaking the law.

While employers have on the whole reacted well to new legislation requiring them to inform employees if their emails are monitored, there is still a huge amount of monitoring that goes on unknown to the worker. Under the RIP Act, which came into effect last October, this activity is illegal.

Codes of practice from the Data Protection Commissioner state that opening workers' personal emails is wrong, whether or not you have their permission. The newly instituted Human Rights Act also legally protects staff privacy.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) reacted with dismay to the survey. It said in a statement: "The notion of management having a free hand to spy indiscriminately on workers' email is unreasonable, intrusive and unacceptable."

The survey also found that employers infringed rights to privacy with intrusive research of job applicants and prospective employees.