Regularly remind employees that the organization has the right to monitor employee eMail and Internet usage. Don't allow employees to assume they have an expectation of privacy when it comes to the organization's computer assets. Following the initial introduction of the organization's eMail policy, managers should create opportunities to remind employees that Big Brother may be reading over their electronic shoulders at any given moment.
Enforce the organization's eMail policy consistently. Do
not allow managers, supervisors, or senior staff any special eRights that other employees cannot enjoy equally. If the organization's ePolicy states that employees will be terminated for sending eMail messages that violate sexual harassment guidelines, managers must follow through by firing all violators. The only way the organization's eMail policy will succeed at reducing liability risks is if it is enforced consistently. No exceptions.
Be realistic about the company's personal use policy. While eMail is intended for business use, most organizations accept a limited amount of personal use. eMail may be the only way for some employees to keep in touch with children and spouses during working hours. Working parents who are prohibited from communicating with family members via eMail may decide to look for a more family-friendly employer.
Never use eMail to fire employees or deliver bad news. Without the benefit of body language, facial expression, or intonation, eMail is the worst way to deliver bad news to employees. Whether your objective is to terminate an employee or notify a department head of budgetary cutbacks, demonstrate respect for your employees by delivering bad news in person. A one-on-one meeting will give the employee the opportunity to ask questions and absorb shock. Should a wrongful termination lawsuit follow, personal notification will cast management in a better light than electronic notification would.
Do not use eMail to discuss an employee's performance with other managers. Managers are not required to like every employee on a personal level, but they are obligated to treat each worker with professional courtesy. If a manager needs to discuss an employee's professional shortcomings with the human resources director or instruct a department head to terminate an employee who just isn't working out, this discussion should be held in person and behind closed doors.
eMail is fraught with too many dangers for sensitive or confidential
communication. Strike your group list key accidentally and you could
send negative comments about an employee to everyone in the organization. Type in the address of the employee in question, rather than the human resources director, and the employee (and the employee's lawyer) would be alerted to management's negative feelings and comments.
Worst case scenario: If the employee in question were to file a
workplace lawsuit, alleging a hostile work environment or wrongful
termination, the manager's electronic discussion with the human
resources director could come back to haunt the company.
eMail messages, like written performance reviews and other documents, can be subject to discovery and subpoena in litigation. In the event of trial, eMail messages concerning this employee could be used as evidence against the organization.
Unless writers are willing to risk a breach of security and have their words read by unintended readers, they should not use eMail. It simply is not secure.
Do not rely on eMail to the exclusion of personal contact. To varying degrees, employees, customers, and suppliers all crave human interaction. While some people may be content to communicate electronically nearly 100% of the time, others may feel slighted or unappreciated unless you maintain ongoing personal contact. Even in the age of eMail, relationship skills remain at the heart of long-term business success. Supplement your eMail communication with periodic staff, customer, and supplier meetings.
Do not use eMail when there is any chance a message will be misunderstood. If a message is complex, technical, or otherwise in any danger of being misinterpreted, opt for a telephone call or a personal meeting instead of eMail.
Do not rely solely on eMail to communicate
ePolicies to employees. Create a sense
of policy ownership among employees by holding ePolicy
training sessions. Explain why the company has created
the ePolicies and what you and the rest of the management team
expect from the staff. Create an environment in which employees feel
free to ask questions about the organization's electronic policies.
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