Richard, it depends (as ever) where you are.
The UK is subject to a lot of contradictory national and European legislation. As a result there are now guidelines, which state that employers can "monitor staff emails, provided that employees have been warned that monitoring is taking place, and that the reasons for monitoring have been explained".
More info here:
http://www.computing.co.uk/News/1141522 As a general guide I think you'll find European legislation much more in favour of the employee than the employer, compared to the situation in the US.
As for leaving a floppy with your CV on it in a PC it's a bit like leaving a printed copy lying around the break room. It's bad manners to look at it but I don't think it's an offense!