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 limit it. You don't want to suddenly begin getting SPAM because this clogs up company resources and attention will be drawn to your account. Also, by sending personal messages you risk your company finding out private information you don't want them to know.
It's always a smart idea to try and keep your company e-mail address business related because it illustrates professionalism and you can avoid any potential problems or accusations of misuse.
WAYS INAPPROPRIATE E-MAIL USAGE CAN GET YOU FIRED
Even if you don't use e-mail outside of the organization, it can still get you fired. It's common for colleagues who establish a level of camaraderie to share private messages, photos, jokes and forwards with one another.
If the content or image in an e-mail is inappropriate or can be found tasteless by someone who happens to see it, this could result in a lawsuit. E-mails containing questionable material can be considered a form of sexual harassment, discrimination, threatening, abusive, defamatory or violent. Your employer isn't going to tolerate any e-mail exchanges which might end up getting an invitation to appear in Court. Aside from it being very costly, chances are the company will share legal liability. If you get caught doing it, there is a possibility you'll be given walking papers.
Forwards of e-mails can be problematic for you at work. Even if you send to people who won't find off-color jokes or images offensive, they may pass onto other people who might. You never know when something may be forwarded back to your boss or the CEO with a company domain associated to the inappropriate e-mail. In forwards usually the originator and subsequent e-mail addresses are visible and this reflects on your company, the boss won't be too keen on this if discovered.
Another way e-mail can get you relieved of your job is if you either intentionally or accidentally share confidential work or proprietary information either inside or outside the organization. It's always a good idea to double check e-mail addresses and make sure only people who receive the e-mail are the ones whose eyes it's intended for.
Personal use also can result in a conflict with your boss. Some people use company e-mail addresses when they are job searching and a stream of job hunting related e-mails are exchanged. Excessive shopping or banking online during company time may violate policies and if you link your e-mail address to any of these activities, your employer will likely sit up and take notice. If you need to do personal business, it's always best to try and use a personal e-mail address.
When using e-mail at work, you probably have little or no privacy whether you use a company or business e-mail address. Everything is traceable and statistics in 2004 indicate as many as 45% of employers in major US firms regularly monitor e-mail and web usage (Introna, pg 476/Spinello & Tavani).
A good rule of thumb is to only say in e-mail something you wouldn't mind being heard out loud in public. Would you care if the e-mail is publicized for all to read? If not, you're likely to be secure in knowing you are composing appropriate e-mails. If it's something you wouldn't want heard aloud, you might want to consider how you write e-mails and examine more closely what you send; your job is safer that way.