Business Etiquette
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E-mail: When the Boss Says “No”
March 12, 2007
Okay, so I won’t lie to you. I’m pleased as could be. Last Sunday, 03/05/07, Mark Villano, author of the New York Times Career Column, quoted me . . . and in the first paragraph of his column, no less.
In “The Workplace: Your Company Monitors your Personal E-mail,” (p. 17), Villano quotes me as saying, “if employers actively monitor outgoing e-mail traffic, messages about anything other than work may attract unwanted attention. ‘The last thing you want to do is make your employer think you’re slacking off,’ Crane said. ‘Nothing you’re doing on e-mail is worth jeopardizing your career.’"
I’m modest and smart enough to know that my quotation alone hardly justifies you circulating Villano’s column about your office. Read on, though. You may wish to post this column at a place in your office where everyone can see it.
Consider this other expert advice that Villano included in his column:
I’m modest and smart enough to know that my quotation alone hardly justifies you circulating Villano’s column about your office. Read on, though. You may wish to post this column at a place in your office where everyone can see it.
Consider this other expert advice that Villano included in his column:
- Employers have a right to monitor all employees’ e-mail and may do so as long as that policy is in writing. Employers may, in fact, be required to hold onto the e-mails employees write at work. Federal legislation now requires all publicly traded companies to archive their employees e-mail messages.
- Employees, especially those living in states that offer employment at will, can fire an employee at any time, including if the employer believes the employee has misused the company’s e-mail system.
- Employees who opt to send personal e-mail messages while at work should consider using a web-based e-mail server for their personal communications.
You can view Villano’s entire column on-line at www.nytimes.com.
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