GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文六十

　　60. Determining whether employers should have access to personal information about

　　employees requires that the interests of businesses in ensuring productivity and stability

　　be weighed against concerns about equity and privacy interests. On balance, my view is

　　that employers should not have the right to obtain personal information about current

　　employees without their consent.

　　A business interest in maintaining a stable, productive workforce clearly justifies

　　right of access to certain personal information about prospective employees. Job

　　applicants can easily conceal personal information that might adversely affect job

　　performance, thereby damaging the employer in terms of low productivity and high

　　turnover. During employment, however, the employees interests are far more

　　compelling than those of the employer, for three reasons.

　　First, the employer has every opportunity to monitor ongoing job performance and

　　to replace workers who fail to meet standards, regardless of the reason for that failure.

　　Second, allowing free access to personal information about employees might open the

　　floodgates to discriminatory promotions and salary adjustments. Current federal laws--

　　which protect employees from unfair treatment based on gender, race, and marital status,

　　may not adequately guard against an employers searching for an excuse to treat certain

　　employees unfairly. Third, access to personal information without consent raises serious

　　privacy concerns, especially where multiple individuals have access to the information.

　　Heightening this concern is the ease of access to information which our burgeoning

　　electronic intranets make possible.

　　In sum, ready access to certain personal information about prospective employees

　　is necessary to protect businesses; however, once hired, an employees interest in

　　equitable treatment and privacy far outweighs the employers interest in ensuring a

　　productive and stable workforce.