Email snooping?

[VenalWinfrey]

Work related question. There is some tension in our team at the moment, and I'm a littl concerned that our boss/HR might be checking my/our emails. Not personal (hotmail) but company emails.

My understanding was that they were not allowed to do this - and that if they intended to, they had to notify us in advance. Is this correct?

Does anyone know of any good employment law books/websites I could check? I'd be most interested to hear anything on this matter, because currently a few of us are staging a meeting to file a complaint about our boss... but I would really like to know in advance if we've been compromised by our email exchanges!

Thanks, as ever, for all your help, I really do appreciate it.

VW

[aristotle]

Of course, your employer/manager has the right to monitor what you are doing with the company's e-mail system. Why would you be concerned if you are only using it for the proper purpose? You should certainly not be using it to complain about your boss as they are bonud to find out.

[Catso]

I would imagine they are. You do have to be informed, I believe, but this can be as part of your terms of employment (it usually is) or contract or just being told. On some systems, it comes up as a reminder when you logon. 'You are reminded that the company's IT policies...' It doesn't have to be an explicit, individual notice.

If you don't believe that everything you're doing on the company's network is being monitored, you're a little naive. They have to cover themselves, in case of legal complications blowing up. EG abusive emails to colleagues.

[KLAND]

We had this at my work and people got sacked for some of the emails sent!!!!!!

[hmistry]

Hi there ..

The company are well in their rights to snoop on your emails personal or private as they 'own' the PC's, the network etc.

With regards to them having to tell you .. your right, but next time you logon and skip past the logon disclaimer, read it! they probably tell you in there!