Employers urged to draw up email code for staff

The Industrial Society and the TUC have published their own set of guidelines on sending and receiving emails at work and called on employers to draw up an email code with them to end the confusion.

The guidelines urge companies to check emails for obscene, indecent or racist material but allow occasional responsible use of emails for personal reasons.

Companies should ensure emails from union reps to members are confidential and remind employees their emails could be checked in their absence, they say.

Industrial Society chief executive Will Hutton said: "While employers have legitimate interests to protect, over zealous monitoring can undermine employees' dignity and autonomy within the workplace."

Employers should:

Warn users that emails may be electronically scanned for obscene, indecent, racist or illegal material.

Allow for the occasional and reasonable personal use of email, as long as this does not interfere with an employees’ work.

Give assurances that emails between union reps and members will not be monitored or read by managers.

Remind employees that their emails may be checked at work if they are unexpectedly absent or leave without leaving forwarding agreements.

By Richard Staines

www.tuc.org.uk