RE: e-mail policies

[Mark Burgess <markb () pbdh com>]

> Isn't all discipline selective? Upper levels of management don't come under
> the same scrutiny and rules that the lower levels are required to live
> under. The VPs won't be fired for chatting with their kids at college using
> IM though they would drop one of their underlings in a heartbeat for the
> same thing.
>
> I understand what you are saying but does your HR and Legal agree with the
> "occasional use" stance? My client's HR and Legal folks understood that the
> people were going to use the systems personally but they required the
> "absolutely no personal use" clauses just so they did have a tool available
> for selective use. Be sure that you somehow define "occasional use", as it
> will be difficult to terminate for just cause if you have not.

Well, if the company really believes that occasional use is ok, then 
why would they want to terminate someone who is occasionally using 
the system for personal mail? If they have *good* reasons to 
terminate, then they should use those, not some selectively-enforced 
ultra-strict rule.


> It is easy to
> define "never" and show violation. The employee probably has other things
> stacked against them at that point anyway

Presumably... otherwise they'd be doing a good job.


> but your AUP won't be one of the
> supports for the company's case, which is just why they want an AUP in the
> first place.

The original poster was looking for ways to detect infidelity while 
retaining some sort of respect for privacy -- not for a tool that 
would help justify terminations.


--
Mark