In Managing the Risky Business of Company E-mail Part1 internet expert witness Scott Greene, CEO of Evidence Solutions, Inc., writes that his company has documented, during the examination of electronic systems, employees who frequently say/save things into e-mails or store on a computer, things they would never say anywhere else.
When educating your employees about the content of an e-mail or using other forms of traceable electronic technology, train the employee to ask themselves these simple questions:
Should I put this in e-mail or should I call?
Would I write this down knowing that it may exist forever?
Would I put this on a postcard and mail it?
Would I want to see this printed in the newspaper?
Would I want this to get into the hands of my company’s competition?
Would I want this to get into the hand of my worst enemy?Electronic communications are not transient, temporary or untraceable. E-mail is evidence. Education and proper policies go a long way to keep both employees and the employer from ending up in a potential lawsuit trying to explain the written word.