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E-mail
has become an important and effective form of communication in the workplace.
The use of e-mail at work, though, has given rise to a myriad of unique
employment issues.
Many
employers have adopted e-mail policies intending to limit the transmission of
personal e-mail via the company's e-mail system. Even in the absence of such a
policy, employees should use extreme caution in the information that they send
using their employer's e-mail system. This is so because employer monitoring of
employee e-mail use appears to be increasing.
According
to one survey, 38 percent of employers in the year 2000 stored and reviewed
employee e-mail messages. Another recent survey indicates a dramatic rise in the
number of companies that have disciplined and discharged employees for internet
misuse at work.
Employees
should also exercise caution in using e-mail as a substitute for traditional
forms of communication. While e-mail is sometimes the most convenient and direct
method for the sender of conveying information, depending on the e-mail
practices of the recipient, the message may or may not be received in a timely
fashion.
The
importance of continuing to utilize traditional communication forms is
highlighted by the e-mail practices of the United Staff Nurses' Union. Although
the individual staff members of the Union each have e-mail addresses, no Union
employee is charged with the responsibility of monitoring incoming e-mail.
Therefore, e-mail sent to a Union staff member will not be received by the Union
in a timely manner if, as is often the case, the intended recipient is on the
road for days or even weeks at a time.
If,
for example, a nurse is filing a grievance, it is important that she or he files
the grievance by sending it to the Union through the mail. Under most collective
bargaining agreements, grievances must be filed within a relatively short time
after the grievance arises. If the grieving nurse files the grievance by mail,
she or he can be assured that the Union's administrative assistant will open the
mail, route it to the appropriate staff member, and make sure that any potential
time lines are met. If, on the other hand, the grievance is filed by e-mail, the
potential exists for that grievance to sit unopened in an electronic inbox while
an important time line passes.
While
e-mail is a tool of inestimable value, employees should be careful to recognize
the perils of relying too heavily on this medium.
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Email
is discoverable in the event of legal action, meaning it is not confidential and
can be used as evidence.
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