E-mail & Phones


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E-mail & Phones

Subtopics:

Electronic Monitoring
E-mail / Internet
Telephones

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Privacy: We Think an Employee Stole Company Data on His iPod; Can We Confiscate It?
July 2008
We suspect an employee has stolen proprietary data from us using his iPod. We have suspicions but no hard facts. Can we confiscate the iPod? What do we do from here to protect our information? . . . more

Short Takes: Recruiting
July 2008
We're interested in using Facebook and similar websites to locate potential job applicants. Would we be violating their rights in any way by contacting them out of the blue when they haven't applied to our company for work? . . . more

Technology: What Should I Keep in Mind When Drafting an Electronic Surveillance Policy?
June 2008
We are seeing a need to engage in more intensive monitoring and surveillance of our employees' tech equipment use. I want to get a new draft policy circulating. What should I include? . . . more

Technology: Can We Prohibit Employees From Using Their Cell Phones at Work?
May 2008
We are a school that teaches developmentally disabled adults, and we want to tell our teachers that they are not allowed to use their cell phones while class is in session. Will we get in trouble if we do this? . . . more

You're the Expert: What Should We Do About Informal Business Emails?
April 2008
Our employees are too informal in their work emails to clients, vendors, etc. They are saying things they shouldn't--such as speaking negatively about company policies--and their tone is too informal for outside business contacts. What can we do? . . . more

E-Challenges: How Can We Get Employees to Follow Our Internet Usage Guidelines?
January 2008
We have tried to be clear with our employees about Internet use but we believe a lot of unauthorized use and personal emailing is still going on. How far can we go in monitoring our employees' use of the Internet while at work? . . . more

Download: Workplace Investigations in California: Responding to Employee Complaints and Addressing Misconduct

Workplace investigations into various issues, from safety violations to sexual harassment, are one of the most important tasks that HR conducts, yet they are often mishandled--with disastrous consequences. To help employers better manage the challenging role of conducting investigations, we have prepared this Special Report . . . more

Privacy: Should We Use Information About Employee Whereabouts We Get from GPS Devices?
September 2007
Because of advances in technology, we now have a lot of information about our employees that we never had before. For example, we know where--exactly where--many of our employees are because of the GPS capabilities of their phones and automobiles . . . more

This month's new question is:
June 2007
Our workplace is flooded with PDAs, cell phones, flash drives, and the like. We're worried about security and productivity. What are you doing to deal with the proliferation of miniature electronic devices in the workplace?
What can you recommend? Please let us know your thoughts. . . . more

You're the Expert: What should we do about our supervisors' and managers' casual use of e-mail?
September 2006
In every issue, we take one reader's question and ask our other readers to weigh in. Last month's question was: . . . more

Privacy: Can We Read Employees' E-mails?
July 2006
What right do employers have to access personal e-mail records or personal e-mail accounts that are on company-owned computers? & . . . more

Employee Privacy: Can You Force Employees to End Lengthy Personal Calls?
January 2006
If I discover an employee on a long and obviously non-business-related phone call, can I interrupt and tell the employee to hang up? . . . more

Short Takes: Recording Phone Calls
January 2006
I know that California law requires both parties' consent to record or monitor phone calls. So if we intend to record or monitor inco . . . more

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