Workplace E-Mail Privacy Lawyers

What Is My Employer¿s Internet Privacy Policy?

Generally, your employer may read your email and trace your Internet movements. More specific information concerning exact company policies are likely to be discussed:

• During a workplace orientation;
• In a union contract; or
• In an employee handbook.

Lacking knowledge of your employer¿s privacy policy will probably not be a strong argument if you have violated other company regulations. Therefore, you should become familiar with the rules and expectations that exist in your workplace.

Can My Employer Monitor My Computer Workstation?

Although some states have established laws granting employees privacy in certain areas of the office, desks and computer terminals are not included. Since company networks and terminals are property of your employer, it has access to them at all times. This means that your actions may be recorded and evaluated while you are working:

• In your office;
• At your desk;
• On your computer; or
• On the Internet.

Can My Employer Read My E-Mail?

In the majority of cases, workplace communications are not private. Courts have recently found that employees are not entitled to e-mail privacy. If you are writing from an e-mail account which was given to you by your company, your employer owns the messages you write and receive; and therefore, it has access to and may review all of these documents. Furthermore, your company may:

• Monitor e-mail written from a non-company based account, such as Hotmail or Yahoo!; and
• Track and read any instant messages sent from or received by your computer.

Is My E-Mail Ever Private?

Most likely, your employer can access all of the email messages that have moved through its network. Therefore, your company may be able to track your electronic communications even if you:

• Delete messages from the account;
• Use encryption to scramble messages; and
• Mark certain messages as ¿private.¿

Do I Need An Employment Lawyer?