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Is it ethical for an employer to monitor incoming/outgoing email correspondence without letting employees know that said correspondence could be monitored? Your thoughts on the matter?

I would say that if your living in their house, your living under their rules.

I always advise companies to include the policy that email/voicemails/text messages are subject to monitoring by the company in the employee handbook, just as a matter of courtesy. But with that being said, I think that an employee should assume that when he/she is using employer resources, nothing that crosses over that medium (whether the phone or emails or IMs, etc) is private.

I voted the first option...with employee awareness. I think that if employees are made aware up front, that alone could cut down on personal or unethical use by employees. After that, if employees use isn't in compliance, it's their own fault.

I don't like the Big Brother aspects of this, but there are so many wrong things that can be done via computers these days that I think it's a necessity.

I voted first. But probably as skippy said with a notice in the employee's original paperwork or handbook.

I voted the first option...with employee awareness.

That kind of takes the fun out of it doncha think?

I agree with your post Skippy. My opinion is that employees should be made aware of the possibility of such. That would be the courteous thing to do.

What prompted my poll was that I had suspected it was possible individual email accounts were monitored, but today I got a confirmation when I got a call from the boss lady asking me what I sent her because she couldn't open the attachment. She let the cat out of the bag by asking me that because it was an email to a client and I also copied myself so I could check to see if the attachment would open. Anyway, I think it is funny that she let me know inadvertently that she reads my outgoing email. Tee Hee!

msnobody wrote:I agree with your post Skippy. My opinion is that employees should be made aware of the possibility of such. That would be the courteous thing to do.

What prompted my poll was that I had suspected it was possible individual email accounts were monitored, but today I got a confirmation when I got a call from the boss lady asking me what I sent her because she couldn't open the attachment. She let the cat out of the bag by asking me that because it was an email to a client and I also copied myself so I could check to see if the attachment would open. Anyway, I think it is funny that she let me know inadvertently that she reads my outgoing email. Tee Hee!

Heh - she's no super spy.

Folks should figure that their employer also tracks website usage.

Companies do that to make sure their employees are doing their work. Every place where I have worked, I've known the emails were monitored. I learned my lesson when I lost my job due to a rediculous comment that a friend emailed me. The words were not my own, but they were held against me.

Some employers will abuse such a policy, but I do not think most will.

I'm about to have access to an employee's email who is on suspension, about to be fired for essentially creating so much tension between herself every employee in our division. She has made commitments that we are now being held responsible for. We do not have to call her at home and tell her we're in her email. And since she's being fired, whatever we find is moot anyway.

When Steve and I started dating, I warned him that DOT was monitoring our email, and he needed to be careful what he said about our relationship. Just because they aren't pinging you right away doesn't mean they won't.

I believe that where I am, the law is that they don't have to notify us. I'm fine with that.

As IT manager here, I've had to track employee's internet usage. We've had to terminate a couple of people because of it.

I don't have **time to do it unless I suspect it is being abused, so for the most part employees can get away with it here.

**I don't have time because I spend all day on msg boards.. :)