CLOSING THE E-MAIL PRIVACY GAP

As Ofeldt & Kallman note in the June 1993 issue of the Journal of Syst ems Management, electronic monitoring has become a matter of growing c ontroversy between employers and employees. Many companies use electro nic monitoring to try to boost productivity, but workers often resent these efforts feeling they are an invasion of privacy. One monitoring issue that has led to considerable conflict and even lawsuits against employers involves how private employees' electronic communications sh ould be. Evidence suggests that there is a significant gap between emp loyees' perceptions of e-mail privacy and the rights of employers unde r the law to monitor and read workers' electronic messages. To promote a positive, productive work environment and to avoid potential legal liability, companies need to develop and communicate an e-mail privacy policy to employees.