Sample E-mail Policy

Version 1.0 15^th March, 2000

Scope

This document details the e-mail policy for the XYZ Agency. It sets out guidelines for e-mail usage by all XYZ staff members. It clearly identifies those areas where common sense is required (e.g., personal e-mails in the case of a family emergency), as well as those areas where there is no leeway, (e.g., pornography).

Objectives

• To make all employees aware of XYZ’s e-mail policy.
• To ensure that XYZ’s investment in computer hardware, software and services is used in the most productive manner to the greatest possible benefit of XYZ.
• To ensure that all XYZ’s business e-mails are preserved and shared as corporate knowledge.

Overview

XYZ’s e-mail system is a corporate resource and is to be used for corporate business as a vehicle for business to business and business to customer transactions. It should be viewed in a similar manner to XYZ’s telephone system in that personal usage should be kept to an absolute minimum. For example, if all exchange lines were in use for personal business, XYZ would not be able to function. The following policies are to ensure that XYZ’s e-mail system is used almost exclusively for XYZ business. To this end, all e-mails sent or received by a XYZ employee are XYZ property. There is no concept in the XYZ e-mail system of ‘personal’ e-mails.

Policies

1. All e-mails sent or received via the XYZ e-mail system are the property of XYZ.
2. Employees should give their XYZ e-mail address to people and organizations that are business partners of XYZ.
3. Employees should not give their XYZ e-mail address to friends and relatives who are personal associates of the employee, not business associates of XYZ.
4. All employees must ensure that the latest update of XYZ’s anti-virus software is running on their workstation. No attachment can be opened unless the latest version of XYZ’s anti-virus software is installed and operational.
5. No attachment should be opened or stored unless the employee can positively identify the sender.
6. No personal e-mail should be sent or received unless there are extenuating circumstances such as a family emergency or crisis.
7. No employee may send or distribute e-mail containing non-business related material such as jokes. This includes sound files, (e.g., WAV), movie files, (e.g., AVI) or any form of such material.
8. No employee may send or distribute questionable e-mail containing expletives or pornography.
9. No employee may send or distribute e-mail containing derogatory, inflammatory, insulting or libelous information about any other XYZ employee, customer, associate or any other person whatsoever.
10. No XYZ employee may conduct any business (whether personal or professional) via XYZ’s e-mail system other than legitimate XYZ business.
11. Any XYZ employee receiving questionable material (as described above in policies 7, 8, 9 and 10) should immediately forward all such material to XYZ’s e-mail administrator for appropriate action and then delete all local copies.

Monitoring e-mails

XYZ has installed the GEM e-mail management system. This system has been designed to capture all e-mail business transactions and to trap and report all questionable e-mails. XYZ employees should be aware that all e-mails are being monitored to ensure that XYZ’s e-mail policy is being adhered to.

Consequences

XYZ employees found to be acting in contravention of the above policies will be warned by the appropriate manager and asked not to re-offend. Employees who continue to disregard the above policy will be formally warned three times and then may face dismissal if the offence is considered to be of a serious nature. Note that any offence associated with pornography (policy 8) or insulting behavior (policy 9) will be automatically classified as being of a serious nature.