The French data protection authority’s (DPA) recent fine of 32 million euros (then-U.S. $35 million) against an Amazon warehouse manager for violating employees’ rights to privacy in the workplace once again raises questions about what constitutes an overzealous approach to employee monitoring and why companies fail to recognize the signs.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...