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E-mail is an activity many people today take for granted because of its vast availability. There are many ways to connect to the Internet in order to access e-mail outside of the home. Nowadays most people rely on e-mail for many reasons.

What many people don't realize is these connections are not a free for all, they are owned by whoever installs and pays for the connection and equipment. In the business environment, company networks are also not free connections, they are company owned and installed for the purpose of carrying out business transactions.

As the owner, an employer is within their right to ensure proper usage of computer resources, and many companies establish technology and Internet policies to make certain no abuse of their property is occurring. As a part of these policies, there is often a stipulation which reserves the right to monitor employee Internet and e-mail usage. This is a controversial topic, but an important one; especially since disregarding these policies can get you fired.

WHAT IS AN INTERNET USAGE POLICY
An Internet (or technology) policy outlines an employer's expectations of how the Internet and e-mail should be used. The Internet has become such an integral part of our lives, and for most of us work and home lives experience a level of overlap. An Internet usage policy helps segregate the two to ensure company equipment and networks are not being misused or taken advantage of. It's a way for the company to protect itself.

It is not cost effective for an employer if their employees spend their day surfing the web, doing banking, shopping or exchanging inappropriate e-mails. After all, they are paying an employee to be productive and to complete business processes. The technology policy essentially is an agreement where both parties acknowledge the "do's and don'ts" of the Internet so there is no misunderstanding if a problem emerges.

E-mail is a significant component of the Internet usage policy because many companies issue a company e-mail address for their employees to use as they exchange messages from the organization both internally and externally. Any messages transmitted from a company domain name reflect upon the business.

WHAT IS INAPPROPRIATE USAGE OF E-MAIL
The biggest inappropriate usage is when an employee blatantly disregards company policy and uses it solely for personal use. This is not to say you should never use your company e-mail address, and most employers do allow a level of leniency, but it's a good idea to

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