Your employer could be concerned about protecting information for business or legal purposes (increased privacy and security risks when you use your own devices or network). It could also be that your employer doesn’t have a good way of tracking your work hours (especially if you’re hourly) on devices that you own.

While it can be more convenient and add to your productivity to use your personal devices (computers, phones, etc.) for work, there are some risks to consider.

Employee monitoring is common and usually allowed as long as your employer has a business-related reason. This means your employer can monitor most of your workplace activity unless there's a policy or agreement (employee handbook, company memo, union contract, etc.) stating otherwise.

If you consented at any point (this might include providing your number on an account application), a debt collector can do this. However, if you never consented, are being contacted about someone else’s debt or told the collector to stop calling you, the debt collector could be violating the law and you may want to contact a consumer attorney.

Unwanted telemarketing calls can be disruptive, but there are a number of steps you can take to minimize them.

While the Do Not Call Registry is useful for stopping real marketers from calling you, not all of your unwanted calls will end when you sign up. Some callers are exempt and others will continue to call you illegally.

Whether individuals are hired, promoted, retained or allowed to volunteer often depends on information revealed in a background check. Companies conduct background checks on prospective employees and volunteers for many reasons including

• public safety
• legal requirements
• liability
• protecting vulnerable populations
• customer assurance
• avoiding a business loss

Yes they can. Bankruptcies are public record, however, employers can’t discriminate against you because you filed for bankruptcy. 

First, you should check the files at the court where you were tried and make sure the information is correct and up-to-date.

Next, you’ll want to follow the steps in our guide: Dealing with Errors on Your Background Check.

It depends. Ban the Box laws are state and local laws that limit the questions that an employer can ask on a job application (usually about your past criminal record). They can sometimes be complex and vary depending on the state, county or city. To see what the laws are in your area, you can check The National Employment Law Project’s Ban the Box Guide.