Personal Email prohibited at work 9

[NS4U]

I have a gmail account which I use to email everyone- my family, friends, and some colleagues. I recently started working at a new place, which explicitly says "checking personal email accounts (ie. gmail) is prohibited."

I realize it is partly so I don't download viruses. However, I don't feel comfortable using my work email address for personal use (especially if I end up switching jobs in a few years or something). I have been putting in 9-10 hour days and it's kind of a pain to deal with all of my gmail email at once when I get home.

My question is, how is replying to a few personal email during the day any worse then taking a couple personal phone calls? Is this really "enforceable"? I'll probably talk to the head of IT in the next couple of days about it and see what he has to say.

Don't get me wrong, I love the job and if I can't check my email I will deal with it. It's not so important to me that I am going to run off and quit or anything. It's just a bit of an annoyance.

 

[UDP10]

There are some companies that truly do not want any employee to make one personal phone call, etc during work hours. Most realize this is ridiculous and hurts moral, and all the things stated above.

Our handbook has verbage stating no personal phone calls, emails, etc. It also says must be working at 7 and done at 5 and lunch from 1145 to 1245 everyday. The reality is if an employee generally works hard and gets their stuff done but is late once or twice no one cares, nor will anyone care if they check their email.

The restrictive policies are in place to protect the company from abuse. If an employee is always surfing the net, the policy can be listed as cause to can them. If I surf the net to check a fantasy score or buy a gift online, but my performance doesn't change, likely no one will care. But, if they want to fire me because of whatever reason, I've given them an out.

 

[Cheeseburger]

I have a comment to make ...

It's been said that you should act as if you're being spied upon ... meaning: Don't do what you would regret if caught. Simple ...

But I've also heard that some companies will easedrop on your computer usage and go through your emails ... and it's all legal (i.e. company policy, company computers, etc.) ...

But it's against the law for someone other than the intended recipient of a (snail-mail) package/letter/etc. to open it ... meaning: My manager cannot open mail that is addressed to me.

Doesn't this concern people ??? In this age ... aren't emails similar to snail-mail ??? And shouldn't they be considered private ???

Just a thought ...

Cheers ...

 

[IRstuff]

That concept has already been tested and failed.

Snail mail only uses what used to be an arm of the Government.

Email, on the other hand, is sent in clear text, with no wrappers, and using company resources. Now, if you encrypt your emails, and the company breaks the encryption to read them, you might have an interesting case to chew on.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[drawoh]

Cheeseburger,

I am not a lawyer.

My understanding is that governments have explicitly designed the postal service and telephone as inviolate. Also, the postal service and phone companies are not liable for what you do with their equipment.

I am not aware that email and other stuff stored on third party computers has such protection.

I used to be on a bunch of the old telephone BBSes. When you logged onto these things, you were told that the sysops read all the mail, including the private ones. Personal computers used to host BBSes were seized by the police when the users plotted criminal activiy. The sysops protected themselves.

JHG

 

[jmw]

Ah, "Inviolate". But not probably not inalienable i.e. it is either implicit or explicit that you have ceded those rights when on company property.

How many times do you hear the recorded message saying "This phone call may be recorded for training purposes."?

When receiving letters at a company or business address I suspect the only way the letters will be delivered unopened to you is if they are marked "Personal and Confidential."

If you are using a business address to receive mail the company presumably has a duty to its owners to ensure you are not your own mail order business, a drugs ring or anything illegal.

If you want to receive private mail, have it sent to your private address.



JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[rmw]

I have to go back up to what vesselfab said earlier in this thread and compare it to what subtech countered with. In that most of us as engineers work principally with what is in our minds, and we can't leave our minds at our desk or turn off our minds when we leave the office, it is unreasonable for a company to deny a few moments to check personal e mail or do some internet surfing and then expect an employee to take calls or handle e mail (oh yes, the ubiquitos BlackBerry) outside of regular business hours. This includes time such as staying over after work to get a crunch project done.

If we had jobs such as for example the cashier at a department store, where our work was limited to when we were at our work station, then I could see where such a rule would be necessary. Who'd want to stand there waiting to be checked out while the cashier checked his/her e mail?

On the other hand, my company requires tons of work related time spent outside of regular business hours and away from the office such as e mails from my laptop at home, phone calls after hours, including time away from home for travel for company business, so I don't mind at all taking a few minutes each day and maybe even a couple of times a day when I am in the office to check personal e mail and even answer some that need immeditate attention.

And, yes, our corporate policy prevents it, and if they ever want to enforce it, then subtech's policy stated above will become my policy. I'll leave the Blackberry and laptop at my desk. They can't have it both ways.

rmw

 

[HgTX]

My snail mail is more often than not opened by persons unknown, long before it ever gets to my building. Someone opens it and time-stamps it. I have a vague memory of someone trying to claim it was intended as a "convenience" to us (not only a ridiculous claim, but if the package is hard to open, they don't open it for me).

A very quick internet search doesn't get me the cite for what law applies to U.S. mail delivered to a business, and a deeper search would, of course, be a waste of my employer's time and resources, so I'll have to let someone else come up with a cite.

There is NO expectation of privacy on an employer-provided computer account, unless the employer tells you you can use your account for private purposes. (University accounts, at least in practice if not by contract, tend to be for personal use--after all, what else would the students be using them for, and the faculty accounts are often not distinguished from the student accounts. But even then the fine print probably says the account is strictly for academic use, etc.)

Everything I do during work hours or via the work computer, I do with the assumption that someone may read it later.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[vesselfab]

hey guys.

I was not saying that you should keep your nose to the grindstone for the entire day and wear out 27 pencils and some tablets.

Companies put that in the rules to curtail ""excessive"" surfing and personal business.

I've seen guys run a personal side business from their boss's company office.

that's stealing.

a few minutes here or there should not bother anyone.

 

[HgTX]

If I could be shown to be visiting a non-work-related website on a daily basis, say checking CNN headlines (as opposed to pulling up the occasional bridge collapse story), I would be in serious trouble here.

Sites that *might* be work-related seem to be ok. No one has questioned me for looking at the weather, even though I go to weather.com and not the "approved" NOAA site.

But y'all are right; I think these days they aren't going through the logs with a fine-toothed comb like they used to (if nothing else, with budget cuts who has the manpower?). I suspect they'll just do it if they're fishing for a problem.

I still choose not to push it, because it wasn't that long ago that they were enforcing the policy with sadistic relish. I push my limits enough in other areas.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[2dye4]

Every time I worked for an employer who was a minute counter, as in constant emphasis on time spent on task, I have inevitable drifted into a being present mode. This seems what the boss wants so I comply. He watches the clock and so do I.
I refuse to use my home time to mull over problems keeping the job from getting finished.
I have learned to refuse offers at companies with this mentality. I prefer to be engaged with my work somewhat creatively and this requires a little flexibility and respect in my work environment. Now concerns about IT security are certainly valid though I suspect mostly it is about managers ego and cracking the whip.

As far as the company reading your e-mails. The language in the US is phrases like. "Reading of an employees personal data available on the company property is allowed as long as it has a legitimate business purpose."

So the IT reading your mails to see how your getting along with your spouse is not allowed.
Reading your mails to see if you are divulging sensitive company info is allowed.

 

[MedicineEng]

Gladly I never worked in a place like that. Maybe is my cultural background, but unlike US culture, I cannot make a clear cut between personal and professional time. If there is a need for me to stay for a couple of hours more in my office to finish a task, I will do it, even if uncompensated. If there is a need for me to go to my personal email to check some emails, or browse in the net to see some information, I will do it also. If I need to receive a call in night time because something happened in the production line, I will take it and if needed I will go back. As such, for me, these restrictions are really messing with my cultural background and I am not sure how I would cope with it. As some say, these rules are made to prevent abuse, but in case of something nasty happens between you and your employer, you should be aware that you are breaking the rules and that they will use this against you.
Good luck in your new prison.

 

[IRstuff]

Very commendable...

I think so long as you're not expecting the same loyalty in return, everyone will be happy.

Nonetheless, there's a difference between your volunteering uncompensated effort versus the company expecting the same.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[EngineerDave]

It is tough. At times I hate that we have access to it, because it's so tempting to check email and news, etc.

What I try to remind myself of is, I am damn busy and every minute I'm on the internet takes away from time to get other stuff done. I don't mind taking a break and using the internet and there are many work related tasks I can use it for as well.

That being said I always feel guilty using it and feel like I'm screwing off. And I should because I am when i use it.

 

[ewh]

The company I work for has a policy of allowing "reasonable" personal use of email and the internet. They have also covered their butts by including in the policy a statement of their ownership and right to access of ANY use of the internet, personal email included. For this reason, I limit using my personal email and seldom access other sites that would contain personal information which I prefer to remain private, such as on-line banking. Other than that, I pretty much use the internet as I see fit, usually engineering sites such as this or news/weather sites. Moderation in all things.

Believe it if you need it
or leave it if you dare

 

[jmw]

2dye4,
but until they read the emails, they won't know what is in them.....


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[jmw]

PS
Never mind the company reading emails:
In the US it's a fair bet Homeland Security will have no problems reading them and this is probably true of most other countries these days. Of course, they'll have programs looking for key words phrases etc. and one wonders what sort of deals China and the like have with Google, MSN etc.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Cheeseburger]

I'm not so bothered by Homeland Security reading my emails ... I have nothing to hide from them. As JMW stated they're only cued into emails that contain certain key-words or phrases.

I'm just bothered that my employer can (when ever they want to) review any and all emails that I have written. I feel (and I don't think that I am in the minority) that it is an invasion of privacy.

 

[TenPenny]

"I'm just bothered that my employer can (when ever they want to) review any and all emails that I have written. I feel (and I don't think that I am in the minority) that it is an invasion of privacy."

Unless said email is written on your personal time, on your personal computer, there is a logical case to be made that the email is the property of your employer. While many employers don't mind some personal stuff, you have to keep in mind that your employer generally isn't paying you to do your Christmas shopping, and keep in touch with Aunt Millie.

Government employees in Canada have been reminded, in the past, that all email sent/received at work is subject to the Access to Information Act, and backup copies are kept for this purpose.

 

[GregLocock]

It has been made quite clear to me that ANY email I read or write on a company computer is a legal document. Pre-email it was any correspondence or paperwork. This came about from a court case where I think it was literally tons of paperwork had to be shipped overseas and examined by the opposing lawyers.

Therefore it does not seem unreasonable that the company should have the right to check exactly what was being written, by one of its agents, using its facilities.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[ewh]

Well put, Greg.

Believe it if you need it
or leave it if you dare