Why Your
Business Needs an E-Mail Policy
by: Judith Kallos
Why is it imperative to have a company E-Mail
Policy? It is simply good business, that's why! In addition, having
a clear and detailed e-mail policy in place, one that employees
sign and date before they are allowed access through your businesss'
computers, is critical to you being able to enforce or react to
situations that may arise at a later date.
Even assuming you have the best folks working for you, or on your
behalf, does not negate the need for this type of policy to be established.
Hopefully, you will never need to refer to your policy statement
in regard to an employee's actions or behavior while on company
time. However, if you do find yourself in that situation down the
road, you will be relieved these terms and conditions are in place
for your protection.
With technology now in the workplace and e-mail accessible to more
employees than ever, connectivity makes it easy for all employees
to surf the Web on company time, circulate unnecessary and/or inappropriate
messages and illegally copy content. These activities can lead to:
=> Claims of sexual harassment and discrimination. This occurs
when e-mail or information is forwarded to an employee who may not
have the same sense of humor as the sender. We all have had our
e-mail boxes filled by well intending friends with the latest joke
or chain letter, some of which could offend the recipient or are
not appropriate in a professional environment.
=> Misaddressed messages that lead to intentional or inadvertent
release of corporate trade secrets. One typo, dot, dash or space
where it shouldn't be (and folks typo e-mail addresses all the time)
and your company information can very easily end up being delivered
to another e-mail address outside of the company.
=> Network and spam attacks. Those who do not understand the
basics of Online Netiquette, many times put themselves in a situation
of having e-mail bombs or repetitive e-mail being sent which can
cripple your network due to their actions. Employees who do not
market your business within established protocols can cause your
server and ISP to cancel your accounts due to spam complaints to
your hosting and e-mail providers.
=> Copyright infringement issues and the possible legalities
that can ensue. Copyright is one of the most misunderstood issues
online. Many believe that information, graphics, etc. are online
for the taking. Right click and it is yours! To set the record straight,
there is nothing further from the truth. All information and graphic
images are protected by the person who created them. To take content
or images without the creator's/author's written permission is copyright
infringement. It is also copyright infringement to forward or quote
another person's private e-mail in a public venue such as mailing
lists and discussion groups without their written permission to
do so.
Abuse of e-mail may also lead to:
=> Waste of computer resources. Large gratuitous downloads can
negatively impact your bandwidth allowances and incur additional
charges from your provider not to mention lower employee productivity.
=> Drain on limited storage capabilities. Limits in disk storage
space can easily be maxed out incurring additional charges.
=> Slower response times for legitimate business activities.
Focus is lost on priorities and customer service. Company e-mail
activities should be considered one of the highest priorities that
many times will fall by the wayside in lieu of employees becoming
sidetracked by these other activities.
=> Increased network traffic. Unnecessary network traffic can
cause your entire network to come to a grinding halt if acceptable
computer and online usage is not clearly defined.
=> E-mail forgery. I could send an e-mail today appearing to
be Bill Gates. Only those with an above average technical knowledge
would be able to determine it was a hoax and trace it back to me.
All company e-mails should use your dot com/net/org to identify
all employees. E-mail settings should not be tampered with or changed
for any reason.
=> Create a negative perception of your business image, legitimacy
and level of credibility. One cannot underestimate the power of
perception as it relates to your businesss' e-mail activities. Each
e-mail should be taken as seriously as though it were written on
company letterhead. How it is written, the words used, whether proper
Netiquette it practiced or lack there of can have a negative impact
on those communicating with your company.
Any e-mail policy should start with the following basics. You will
want to review each carefully and then jot down and add the specifics
unique to your business environment and culture.
1) Specify that the computer and e-mail system belongs to the business
for authorized purposes only. While on company time any use of the
Company's equipment (computer) is to be used solely for business
activities related to the performance of an employee's job responsibilities.
2) Set clear expectations of employee privacy. What will be private
and what won't - if anything. Trends indicate that the majority
of e-mail policies currently in place state clearly that while on
company time, employees should not expect to have any privacy in
regard to their use of company owned equipment and resources.
3) Establish monitoring as a "right" of the employer.
It should be expected and acknowledged.
4) Make sure employees understand attention should be taken when
addressing e-mail and when drafting them to avoid including copyrighted
material. Each e-mail an employee sends utilizing an e-mail address
with your dot com/org/net reflects on your business and makes you
inevitably liable if another author's information is misused without
their permission. Not only are there legal ramifications, but again,
do not underestimate how your enterprise will be perceived by virtue
of the use of a company e-mail address in communications.
5) Outline specific types of content that should be avoided in e-mail
messages. The more detail the better here!
6) Have employees sign and date the e-mail policy. Put a copy in
their personnel file and give them a copy to have on hand for reference
purposes.
It would also be recommended that each employee be sent to my OnlineNetiquette.com
site or given a copy of my soon to be released book: "Because
Netiquette Matters! Your comprehensive reference guide on e-mail
etiquette and proper technology use." This will ensure they
are aware of all the issues and practices they need to integrate
when e-mailing on behalf of and using your company's resources to
communicate online.
For a sample E-mail Policy that you can use and modify, visit my
main consulting site @: http://www.theistudio.com/example_epolicy.html
About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse
who has been playing @ http://www.TheIStudio.com
for over a decade. |
