ABC Heating and Cooling operates in a jurisdiction that prohibits unreasonable workplace searches and surveillance...

The employee is most likely to have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the company-gifted backpack. The key issue is not strictly who owns the item, but whether a reasonable person would expect the area or item to be free from intrusion. The ACFE materials explain that employees tend to regard purses, briefcases, backpacks, and other personal effects as private. Even if the employer gifted the backpack, the employee brings it to the office and uses it as a personal container. By contrast, shared company vehicle compartments, department filing cabinets, and company-issued laptops are more closely connected to business use and can be subject to company policies. Therefore, the backpack is the strongest privacy item.