Monitoring Your Employees' Email

- by Carol Conway

There is an issue related to the matter of computer privacy that warrants thefull attention of all managers. Two columns ago I discussed the need for confidentiality concerning consumer information and last time I examined the responsibility of employees who use the Internet. The final issue in this three-part look at computer privacy is equally critical: how far can and should a manager go in monitoring an employee's e-mail? Research shows that at least 20 percent of companies regularly monitor their employees' e-mail, a sign that this is not an issue to be taken lightly, given the personal and legal ramifications.

Most employees are familiar with sending and receiving e-mail, but they must know that e-mail etiquette and procedures in a business setting are different from those governing e-mail at home. Thus the need for a clear policy, accompanied by a diligent training and education program, is paramount. In other words, don't take this issue lightly.

Because e-mail is a business document, employees must keep their electronic work-related correspondence professional, as if they were sending a hard-copy business letter on company stationery. When employees send e-mail, whether for business or not, they are representing the company and can be identified by their company "address." E-mail users should be aware that the company might access e-mail records that are stored or handled by the company's e-mail system, although employees who access the e-mail records of others without proper justification or permission should be disciplined.

In certain instances, e-mail can be important evidence if business documents are requested in a lawsuit. Once a company is put on notice that a lawsuit is pending, managers may be prohibited from destroying any e-mail. The best policy is to determine what backup documentation exists, what is needed on an ongoing basis, and then establish a procedure for what e-mail is kept and what is discarded. Deleting e-mail does not completely eradicate it and most e-mail is recoverable.

Dealing with non-business e-mail is a matter in which a dose of common sense is helpful. Managers may want to institute the same policies they apply to telephone use for personal matters - occasional use for emergency purposes, provided the sender adheres to the company's standards of professionalism.

Using company resources to send e-mail that is offensive, degrading, hostile, harassing or abusive should be prohibited. Examples of inappropriate e-mail communications include sexually explicit or suggestive material, racial, ethnic or religious material, or other offensive or degrading material regarding certain groups or individuals. Companies such as Chevron and Salomon Smith Barney have been successfully sued for sexual discrimination and for creating a hostile workplace in which employees had shared pornographic electronic messages.

Company policies should also address the handling of unsolicited e-mail messages that are not work-related. Chain letters and forwarding jokes or other non work-related material should not be permitted as these can clog the system, are time-consuming, can cause disruption, diminish productivity and, in some cases, be illegal. Employees who are tempted to distribute an e-mail message that has no clear business purpose should seek guidance from a supervisor and if an employee receives an unwanted e-mail, they should express this concern to the sender.

Sound management begins with sound company policies that all employees are required to know and observe. Here is a suggested policy regarding the use of e-mail:

"The company operates and maintains e-mail systems for internal and external business communications. While employees may use the system for incidental and occasional personal messages, such use should be minimal and must not be used in any way that would disrupt company operations, be offensive to others or violate any company policy. The company and others have access to e-mail records that are stored or handled by our company's system, and therefore all messages, including personal ones, may be subject to review by the company. Employees may not access the e-mail of others without authorization."

No one will dispute that computers have revolutionized the workplace. But along with revolution comes change, providing today's managers with probably as great a challenge as they are likely to face in their entire professional life.

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