Have you ever felt like your boss was getting a bit too nosy? There are some things that, legally, they’re not allowed to ask you at all. It doesn’t matter who you work for because some lines can’t be crossed. Here are 25 questions that are completely off-limits or not recommended for any boss.
Health Status
If your boss starts asking you for information about allergies or something more serious, it’s time to change the subject. The law says your health is your business unless it directly affects your job. If they need to know about making accommodations for you, that’s okay, but your medical history? Completely off the table.
Medical Procedures
Similarly, if you’ve had surgery or you’re considering a medical procedure, your boss doesn’t need to know all the details. Privacy laws protect this information to keep you safe from any potential discrimination. Of course, they can ask if you’ll need time off for medical reasons, but you’re allowed to keep the specific details as private as you want them to be.
Age Information
Your boss is allowed to ask exactly how old you are, but only under certain principles. Why? Because age has nothing to do with how you handle your taste at work. Of course, they can make sure you’re old enough to work, but they’re only allowed to ask your exact age if it’s for a legal reason.
Marital and Family Status
It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married, or something else entirely because that’s your deal, not your boss’s. Asking about your relationship status could make them biased, especially against women who might be discriminated against because their boss thinks they’ll need time off. You’re there to work, not share your life story.
Sexual Orientation
Similarly, who you date and your orientation are always private matters and never topics for work discussions. After all, everyone deserves to feel secure and accepted at work, no matter who they love or how they identify. Your boss can’t ask you about your orientation because it could lead to unfair treatment.
Religious Beliefs
Your spiritual life, or lack thereof, is for Sundays and your personal time. If you’ve got some religious requirements, like needing time off for religious holidays or to pray, that’s fair for them to talk to you about. But asking into what you believe or your religious practices is crossing a line.
Political Affiliation
No matter where you work, politics can turn people off, so it’s best to keep them out of the office. As politics are not a protected category, your boss is legally able to ask about them, but they shouldn’t. Your political preferences have nothing to do with your job performance, so questions about which party you support are a big no-no.
Personal Finances
Are you saving up for a car? Perhaps you’re paying off student loans instead. Either way, no matter what you’re doing, your financial status isn’t up for a workplace discussion. They’ve got no effect on how you’re doing your job, so keep those numbers to yourself and don’t let your boss ask questions about them.
National Origin
Questions about where you’re from, or your ethnicity can quickly make a conversation uncomfortable. It’s enough for your boss to know you’re legally allowed to work, and they should respect your background instead of questioning it. There’s no legal reason for them to be asking about your heritage.
Citizenship
Similarly, confirming you can legally work is one thing, but asking about your citizenship status is another. They only need to know that you can do the job, and where your passport comes from is not important. All employees should treat their workers equally no matter what their citizenship status is.
Criminal Records
Of course, it’s completely normal to run a background check on a new employee, but your boss can’t ask you directly if you’ve ever been arrested. They can talk about any convictions you may have that could affect your job, but your past encounters with the law are personal. Your skills and current behavior are far more important.
Social Media Passwords
In the digital age, your online presence is completely your own, and your boss doesn’t need the keys to your profiles. Even if it’s for a work-related profile, they’re not allowed to ask about your passwords, and you’ve got the right to protect your online privacy. Your social media accounts are not part of your job requirements.
Membership in a Union
It doesn’t matter if you’re a union member or thinking about joining one because that’s completely your right. It shouldn’t affect how other people treat you at work. Any discussions about union activities should be about requirements you need, not personal choices. Your boss can’t act about your membership, even if you don’t have one.
Genetic Information
Anyone with a family history of diseases will be pleased to know that that’s for you and your doctor to know. Employers are barred from asking about genetic information because it’s completely private, and it’ll reduce the risk of discrimination. After all, your DNA has no impact on your employment.
Alcohol or Drug Use
Unless it’s affecting your work, what you do or don’t do outside work is up to you, and that includes alcohol or drug use. If there’s a policy at work, then yes, your boss can ask about it. But your weekend activities? That’s not their business. What you do in your personal time should remain private, except if it starts causing issues at work.
Housing Situation
Are you renting? Do you own your place? What about roommates? All these details are completely irrelevant to your job, and your boss shouldn’t ask about them. Any discussions about your home should be about the furniture, not the ownership details, because they have no impact on your job performance.
Past Salaries
Questions about what you made at your last job aren’t on the agenda, as they can stop people from earning what they should today. It’s a pretty big problem for women and minorities. Your pay should reflect what you bring to the table now, like your skills and experience, instead of what you were paid before.
Physical Appearance
It sounds obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning. Your boss should never comment on your looks, whether it’s your height, weight, or something else completely. Of course, in some jobs, such as air stewards, these questions are allowed, but otherwise, they’re not right. We’re all here to work, not to win a fashion contest.
Disability Accommodations.
This one’s a bit of a difficult one. If you need a hand to make your workday smoother, that’s perfectly fine, and your workplace needs to support you. But they’re not allowed to ask about the personal details of your disability, such as the sort of disability you have or how long you’ve had it.
Emergency Contact Information
Of course, your boss needs to know who to contact if you’re involved in an emergency, but it stops there. They’ve got to secure the information they give you and bring it up only when it’s absolutely necessary. They can’t ask you questions about your emergency contact during an interview or just for casual chit-chat.
Outside the Workplace
What you get up to when you’re not working isn’t your boss’s business. It doesn’t matter if you’re into gaming or gardening because how you unwind shouldn’t be a topic at work because you should have a healthy boundary between work and play. This way, you don’t have to worry about work creeping into your downtime.
Future Retirement Plans
Asking questions about when you might stop working is completely off-limits, and the conversation should be on what you’re doing right now. When you plan to retire isn’t something a boss should be asking you about. Everyone’s career paths and timelines are their own, and discussions about the end game should only happen when you’re ready.
Internet Usage
Your boss does have the right to monitor your professional use of the internet on company devices, as it’s part of your work. But what you search or watch on your own time is your business. Your boss needs to respect this separation between the two to maintain a respectful work environment.
Previous Compensation Claims
If you’ve ever filed a workers’ compensation claim, that’s not something your boss needs to ask about. It might make them biased against someone who might claim again, and everyone deserves a fair shot at a job without their claim history affecting their chances. If your boss’s safety concerns about the job are relevant, they can address them without asking about personal claim history.
Biometric Data
Most of us have fitness trackers on our phones or watches that count our steps or monitor our health rate. While they’re useful, your boss can’t ask for your data because this information is completely your own. Being at work shouldn’t feel like someone’s always watching over your shoulder or checking out your health stats.
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