TRACEY’S PRACTICAL EMPLOYMENT TIP
OF THE MONTH*

MAY 2008 : EMAIL AT WORK - A NEW DEVELOPMENT

In my March 2007 Monthly Tip “The Dos and Don’ts of Office Email” I identified the risks to an employee’s job security inherent in using your office email address for non-work related matters. Recently, the risk level was raised for those living in New York State. Given my belief that this is a ruling other jurisdictions are likely to follow I thought it best to bring it to your attention.

The ruling states that an employee’s communications with their attorney via office email are not protected by the attorney-client privilege as the employee could not have had an expectation of confidentiality where the company had a “no personal use policy” in place and also put its employees on notice that it monitored their email traffic.

This again highlights the dangers involved when employees use their office email address for personal matters unrelated to work and that such usage is never a good idea.

Next Month’s Tip: THE DANGERS OF ACCEPTING PROJECT WORK

Monthly Tip Archive

_________________
* Disclaimer: The contents of this page are for informational purposes only and nothing herein is intended to constitute legal advice nor should anything contained herein be taken or relied on as such. Each individual executive and employee has a unique set of facts and circumstances that the general discussion set forth above may be wholly inapplicable to. Only through consultation with a lawyer from our firm in which all of the facts and circumstances of an individual’s unique situation are explored and considered can a true legal assessment of your rights and remedies be ascertained. Any use of this information is taken solely at your own risk.