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Write an E-Mail Policy

A well-written and seriously enforced e-mail policy can help you reduce the risk of litigation. By informing your staff of what is permissible to communicate via e-mail and what is not, you reduce the chances of becoming one of the 24 percent of employers who have had their e-mail messages subpoenaed by courts and regulators. Your legal advisors, especially those who specialize in electronic communications, are the final authority on drafting an e-mail policy that is right for your organization. However, you can begin the process by thinking about the following questions:

• What are the acceptable uses of e-mail within your organization as they relate to:

Image Communicating with clients.

Image Communicating with other employees.

Image Communicating with all other business contacts.

Image Password protection, or encryption.

Image Confidential and copyrighted information that is to be sent electronically.

Image Scanning incoming e-mails and attachments for viruses.

• What are unacceptable uses of e-mail within your organization as they relate to:

Image Transmitting spam.

Image Sending unprotected messages that contain personal employee information or confidential company material.

Image Sending messages that contain fraudulent or offensive material.

Image Using e-mail for purposes that are illegal or unethical.

Image Forwarding chain letters.

Image Personal business.

Image Disseminating, viewing, or storing commercial or personal advertisements, solicitations, promotions, or any other unauthorized materials.

• What are standard mailbox management practices?

Image Deleting non-work related e-mails, once read.

Image Deleting work-related messages that are not required for reference, legal reasons, or in-house retention policies.

Image Setting up folders for organizing and systematizing the filing of retained documents.

• What are unacceptable mailbox practices?

Image Saving files that are not needed.

Image Using server space by storing personal messages in folders.

Image Sending large files that take a long time to download, create storage problems, and may be too big for the recipient’s mailbox.

Image Storing important files in areas that are routinely purged by IT.

General Company Internet Usage Policies

To get an idea of the types of statements that make up an e-mail policy, check out the following samples.

Occasional limited and appropriate personal use of the computer is permitted if such use does not interfere with the user’s or any other employee’s job performance; have an undue effect on the computer or company network’s performance; or violate any other policies, provisions, guidelines, or standards of our policy.

All electronic communications created, sent, or received through company servers are considered the property of the company and may be regarded as public information. We reserve the right to access the contents of any messages, for good reason, by legal counsel.

All communications sent or received using company computers can be disclosed to law enforcement or other third parties without prior consent of the sender or the receiver.

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