HR opposes open access to e-mails

Seven out of 10 HR professionals believe employers should not have the right
to open all staff e-mails, according to Personnel Today’s online News Barometer
survey.

Of the 263 HR professionals who voted online, only 79 believed that
organisations should be able to open all staff e-mails.

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The final draft of the Data Protection Act monitoring code created
controversy last month when it stipulated that employers should only open
private e-mails if there was clear evidence that employees were breaking the
law or going against company rules.

Commenting on the Personnel Today research, Diane Sinclair, lead advisor on
public policy at the CIPD, said: "I am not surprised, as most employers
have always respected staff privacy. Employers are not interested in their
staff’s private lives, but there are concerns where employers are liable for
inappropriate content."