Can My Employer Read My Personal Email?
If you’ve ever read a personal email before at work, you might have wondered if it was possible for your boss to see what you see. Let’s be honest, with the way technology is today, instead of wondering about it, you should know that they probably are.
When it comes to email privacy, most courts in the US are going to side with the employer – not you.
Technology makes it possible for any business across the board to keep track of and read all workplace communications if you are connected to their network or use their equipment. For example; they would be able to read all communications from your computer, that includes emails and messages you receive on your desktop. They shouldn’t, however, be able to read items on your phone because you are on not on their network unless you are using their wi-fi!
If you doubt that your employer would be reading your emails, think again! According to a survey done in 2007 by the American Management Association, around 43% of companies DO monitor employee emails and around 28% of them have fired an employee due to the misuse of email! That was in 2007, imagine how far this number has jumped in the past 12 years and how much more skilled technology has become.
Work Email Accounts Are Not Private
If you have an email account with the employer you work for it’s pretty safe to assume that your email is not private. Your employer is completely allowed to and able to monitor your incoming and outgoing emails.
Reading Personal Emails On Company Equipment
If you have a job that provides equipment such as; a computer, a phone, a tablet, do not read your personal emails on them! This is just asking for trouble. If you absolutely need to check your personal email, do it on your own time and your own technology.
How Are Emails Monitored?
If your emails are being monitored, chances are they are going through one of these processes. It should be noted that while your employer might not be reading your messages right then and there, they could be “storing” them to read them later on or even use software to look for certain keywords that you have included in your emails.
1- KeyLogger Programs: These programs are pretty common these days, but you don’t just have to worry about it reading sent or received emails – but drafts too!
2- Some employers will create a copy of all messages when they arrive via email.
3- There are email systems that will copy all of the messages that run through them, automatically.
If you do get caught or your employer says something to you about it, it’s really in your best interest to just admit it rather than be caught in a lie IF they are monitoring your communications!
How To Stay In Check!
If you’re wondering how you can stay out of trouble at work, the solution is really simple.
– Keep work at work. You shouldn’t be emailing your wife about dinner, messaging your ex, talking to your friends or whatever else. You should only be sending work emails through your email address.
– Don’t access your personal email address, for example at Gmail, on work technology ie; your computer.
– Don’t forget your manners. Make sure that when you send out emails to your co-workers, even if they are friends, that you aren’t sending out anything that can be misunderstood or misconstrued.
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