Reading employee's emails
Discussion
Can anyone clarify the legal issues in reading employee’s emails.
I have just sent a mail to one of my colleagues on a business matter to have a reply from the boss who was not copied in on the mail. So it is obvious that he is getting copies of all emails that are sent and received in and out of the office.
Now we have had our suspicions for a while and most of us use Hotmail or Yahoo for personal stuff, but what is the legal issue with this.
It doesn’t worry me that he does this as I don’t use my works email for personal stuff. What annoys me more is that he has got the time to read 15 people’s emails but not approve the artwork I left on his desk 3 weeks ago.
I have just sent a mail to one of my colleagues on a business matter to have a reply from the boss who was not copied in on the mail. So it is obvious that he is getting copies of all emails that are sent and received in and out of the office.
Now we have had our suspicions for a while and most of us use Hotmail or Yahoo for personal stuff, but what is the legal issue with this.
It doesn’t worry me that he does this as I don’t use my works email for personal stuff. What annoys me more is that he has got the time to read 15 people’s emails but not approve the artwork I left on his desk 3 weeks ago.
Know for sure he is reading your emails. When he nips out to the loo sneak into his office and turn the sound up on his speakers.
Then send an email to someone with this link in it http://www2.b3ta.com/top-10-cutest-ki
(WARNING FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED DOES CONTAIN ONE STRONG SWEAR WORD).
Then just listen.
Then send an email to someone with this link in it http://www2.b3ta.com/top-10-cutest-ki
(WARNING FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED DOES CONTAIN ONE STRONG SWEAR WORD).
Then just listen.
He's on a very sticky wicket unless there is a clear company policy and all the employees have been informed of that policy. They may be falling foul of etiher the Human Rights act or the Data Protection act.
Generally its ok to monitor email address and the subject of emails sent and received but actually looking in the body of and email which is clearly of a personal nature is a no no unless there are reasonable grounds.
Generally its ok to monitor email address and the subject of emails sent and received but actually looking in the body of and email which is clearly of a personal nature is a no no unless there are reasonable grounds.
obiwonkeyblokey said:We do too - also, I take the view that it's their PC, their mail software, their mail server, their IP connection etc. so they have a right to view what you do on it. Same as making private calls.
we ahve an email and internet policy document which everyone has to sign.
BUT - if it's webmail or a personal phone (mobile) then they have no right.
They have the right, as they have done here, of banning webmail too.
Kind of "it's their ball and they can take it home if they want to".
>> Edited by chim_knee on Thursday 18th May 17:19
Plotloss said:
Not as a matter of course but lets say there was suspect dodgy content or suspect insider dealings your employers would be well within their rights to tell you to retrieve the contents of someones mailbox.
Privacy until theres a need basically...
yep - we have just updated our internet and email usage policy specifically to state that use of corporate email is for business only and your manager and senior management can (if there is a business need) access your email account.
I used to work in a fairly large multi-national company and it was always a pain when someone left as IT were instructed by HR to delete the leavers email account. So we'd have customers sending in emails that simply bounced.
This seems absurd, but HR were adamant that it would be a breach of confidence to have the leavers emails forwarded to someone else.
Personally, I can't believe this is correct - I've seen information that says employers can open ordinary post, as it's assumed to be work related, so I can't for the life of me see why they can't view email.
This seems absurd, but HR were adamant that it would be a breach of confidence to have the leavers emails forwarded to someone else.
Personally, I can't believe this is correct - I've seen information that says employers can open ordinary post, as it's assumed to be work related, so I can't for the life of me see why they can't view email.
In actual fact somebody who used to work where I did was told that perhaps it would be a good idea if they left when a recruitment consultant sent an email confirming their interview with directions for that afternoon but spelt her name wrong (all the emails that have name unrecognised@the company are forwared to the boss to deal with) Unfortunately the Employee in question was off 'ill' !!
How stupid do you have to be to give your work email address when you are looking for other Jobs!
How stupid do you have to be to give your work email address when you are looking for other Jobs!
At a previous employer, the GM had the IT dept set it up so all emails got copied in to him. What he forgot was that it automatically sent a 'read' message to the sender when the email was opened.
He was lucky that I was the first to notice a response from him; I was his 2IC and a good friend so I quickly had a quiet word with him
He was lucky that I was the first to notice a response from him; I was his 2IC and a good friend so I quickly had a quiet word with him
We have an email policy wherein we tell everyone that whilst reasonable use of Company e-mail addresses for personal messages is OK they should not consider the e-mail system private. i.e. Don't write anything in an e-mail you don't want read out loud at some later point! Any mails you don't want kept and reviewed as necessary (sent or recieved) should be deleted immediately.
Really what we're saying is that we cannot (and do not) guarantee any privacy on Company 'mail addresses.
This is partly because we often arrange to allow delegates to open other people's Inbox during their vacation and so on.
I have no objection to employees using web-mail.
In fact I have no objection to reasonable personal use of the web whilst at work - but again - don't consider your Internet History private - its not. Always consider that someone may review the list of sites visited at any time.
Really what we're saying is that we cannot (and do not) guarantee any privacy on Company 'mail addresses.
This is partly because we often arrange to allow delegates to open other people's Inbox during their vacation and so on.
I have no objection to employees using web-mail.
In fact I have no objection to reasonable personal use of the web whilst at work - but again - don't consider your Internet History private - its not. Always consider that someone may review the list of sites visited at any time.
Don said:
We have an email policy wherein we tell everyone that whilst reasonable use of Company e-mail addresses for personal messages is OK they should not consider the e-mail system private. i.e. Don't write anything in an e-mail you don't want read out loud at some later point! Any mails you don't want kept and reviewed as necessary (sent or recieved) should be deleted immediately.
Really what we're saying is that we cannot (and do not) guarantee any privacy on Company 'mail addresses.
This is partly because we often arrange to allow delegates to open other people's Inbox during their vacation and so on.
I have no objection to employees using web-mail.
In fact I have no objection to reasonable personal use of the web whilst at work - but again - don't consider your Internet History private - its not. Always consider that someone may review the list of sites visited at any time.
The best compromise IMHO.
andoverben said:They must have been devestated to be told to leave.
In actual fact somebody who used to work where I did was told that perhaps it would be a good idea if they left when a recruitment consultant sent an email confirming their interview with directions for that afternoon but spelt her name wrong (all the emails that have name unrecognised@the company are forwared to the boss to deal with) Unfortunately the Employee in question was off 'ill' !!
Don said:
We have an email policy wherein we tell everyone that whilst reasonable use of Company e-mail addresses for personal messages is OK they should not consider the e-mail system private. i.e. Don't write anything in an e-mail you don't want read out loud at some later point! Any mails you don't want kept and reviewed as necessary (sent or recieved) should be deleted immediately.
Really what we're saying is that we cannot (and do not) guarantee any privacy on Company 'mail addresses.
This is partly because we often arrange to allow delegates to open other people's Inbox during their vacation and so on.
I have no objection to employees using web-mail.
In fact I have no objection to reasonable personal use of the web whilst at work - but again - don't consider your Internet History private - its not. Always consider that someone may review the list of sites visited at any time.
We also have an "acceptable use policy" I think it is actually a requirement now, and certainly prudent. The only problem with allowing access to web mail is that it can, depending upon your systems, circumnavigate a lot of your anti-virus systems. Therefore we do not allow it here. As an administrator, I run the system which quarantines any suspect mail. It staggers me what people will put in an e-mail sent to/from a work address when they have all been issued with a policy stating that mail may be monitored!
Jon H
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