For almost any business, large or small, e-mail has been a huge boon to efficiency. But improper e-mail usage can create legal liabilities for small business owners, says Elizabeth Gaudio, senior counsel at the National Federation of Independent Business Legal Foundation.
“To protect your company from liability associated with inappropriate e-mail usage, it helps to establish a written policy and make sure that all employees are aware of the policy and the consequences for violating it,” she says.
Businesses should also warn employees that they should have no expectation of privacy in their e-mail use at work. The law specifically allows employers to monitor messages on the company’s system, Gaudio says, and even if you don’t monitor now, a written policy can protect your right to do so in the future.
But legal liability is only one pitfall. While most employers allow reasonable personal use of business e-mail, some employees overuse it, draining time and resources. And some may develop sloppy, inappropriate e-mail habits that can make your business look bad.
Here are some tips for writing your e-mail policy:
* Create a written e-mail policy and have employees sign a form acknowledging they’ve read it and agree to the terms. Some good off-the-shelf written policies are available free on Web sites such as e-mail-Policy.com. You’ll want your policy to strictly prohibit sending offensive or obscene e-mails and prohibit sending spam, chain mail and the forging of e-mail messages.
* Your policy should explain your position on personal use of e-mail. With a “business only” or at least a “limited personal use” e-mail and Internet policy, employees will be more productive.
* Since e-mail includes attachments as well as written body text, you should make sure your e-mail policy clearly states what may or may not be passed through the system. This will help you protect private company materials that are sent and received via e-mail.
* Don’t stop with e-mail legalities. You’ll also want to safeguard the type of impression your business makes by training employees in proper e-mail habits. Get all the tips and details you need at a terrific site called Netmanners.com.
* Drill employees in the use of e-mail spell check. The simple act of running the spell checker on e-mails before sending them can give professionalism a huge boost with little effort. If your e-mail program lacks this feature, SpellCheckAnywhere.com can help.
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at editor@business.com.
