Company's and email...

[Delany]

Where i work all employees are advised right from the outset that the equipment and software that you are using is owned by the company so that any emails you create using that software is also their property (as is the law here in Oz) so they do have the right to monitor what you send. The systems are locked down tight so no IM and no webbrowsing except for specific sites that are not locked off etc.
In so far as sending personal emails from the company email program, they don't mind the occassional usage providing it is within our electronic usage guidelines (which are quite clearly spelt out and available to all staff).

[Duty]

It also depends on the company. Here we allow most anything. As long as it does not interfere with work (ie everything gets done) do what you want. Also it depends on local laws. Here is a new one that looks like it will happen here in california.

From http://news.com.com/California+Senat...3-5222062.html
Information gleaned from e-mails cannot be retained, shared with a third party, or shown to any employee or other "natural person," according to the bill. In addition, messaging providers must permanently delete messages at the request of customers.

[DGhost]

Personally, I believe that (in general) whoever runs the servers has the right to access whatever data is stored on it, under whatever circumstances they deem nessicary. they also have the right to say what can and cannot be done with their systems.

Doesn't mean its right - most sysadmins do not take joy in (let alone have time to) sitting around reading other peoples email. however, they also do not take joy in having to track down people who email copies of the companies internal directory (including home addresses/contact information) out.

if you have a problem with it, pay for your own services. if you have a problem with someone else running the servers (and being subject to their rules), colocate a box. *shrug*

the opposite is also true - if i am a sysadmin and someone is using their own private mail servers to send personal emails, i have no right to do anything to that server, short of blocking all access to it from company resources (assuming there is a valid reason - harassment, distraction from job, virus problems, etc etc).

[RhinoZ]

Thanks for the lots of input folks.
I'm with alot of you, in that you shouldn't use work email for personal stuff. Where I have the problem is in that the company can read your work email. I have a lot of friends at work and we send quick notes to each other using email. I don't sit at my desk all the time, so using email messages are quick and not a waste of time as some phone calls can be when you talk to some people. Now I know there is always some f***up that will always abuse the system, and you can never find these people out, I just don't like the idea of painting everybody with one stroke.

[High_Jumbllama]

When people leave either voluntarilly or forcibly, we need to be able to get to the info on their assigned machines. One time someone even decided to trash their email forgetting about the backup. I've even personally explained things to sets of employees always serious sometimes slightly joking manner that I can get into everything but that does not mean that I do. After all I do not have the time. That way they know better. Everyone has been mature enough to keep it rather sedate. I'd rather say something early and have them not do anything worthy of attention. Only a few have left anything personal in there for more than a day or two and I make sure that those do not make it into any kind of final backup.

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