E-mail and Internet Policy

I think that if a company provides or pays for a service, they have a right and even an obligation to manage it.

My company provides internet access for business purposes. Personal use is frowned on, and clocked. Going to pornographic or hacker sites is blocked. Frankly before we did this internet service sucked because of all the non-business surfing and the alternative to monitoring was to turn off access altogether to everyone but a select few.

If you are going to monitor, set out clear policies, publish and publicise them before you enforce them. We make people sign an agreement.

When someone transgresses we send them a note. The second time their manager is informed, third time HR is informed.

I don't believe employers should monitor employees without their knowledge, but I don't think employers need employees consent either. There is no entitlement to privacy when using corporate provided services. If you want privacy, go home and surf.

As for email, I hope we don't have to retain it forever. There too, we should be careful about expectations of privacy. Tell the employees that only under exceptional circumstances will email be monitored, but that it can be monitored. There have been legal cases in the US which have gone to the Supreme Court in this area.

James