The introduction of the Internet has effectively changed the way we do business. This has caused quite a dilemma for both employers and employees. Email and Internet use has been integrated into our daily business practices and an increasing number of employees must have these tools to effectively perform their jobs. This poses many new risks for employers. This essay will examine the circumstances under which employee email could potentially pose a risk for the employer. I will also describe how all companies who offer Internet access to their employees are at some level of risk no matter what type of company they operate. Finally, I will list some precautions that can be taken to help prevent the potentially disastrous consequences of employee email use. The information collected for this essay is primarily from existing data and some personal observation. I will begin by answering this important question. How can employee email pose a risk for employers?
Employee email actually poses a variety of risks for the company they work for.
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Michael Oxley , U.S. Senator from Maryland.One primary risk associated with email use is the costly results all businesses face when employees use email for personal reasons during work hours. An article in the Monthly Labor Review written by Charles J. Muhl indicates a recent survey, which reveals nearly 84 percent of the employees surveyed admitted that they regularly use the company computer for personal use. Over 32 percent of those individuals admitted sending between 5 and 10 email messages per day. Amazingly, while the vast majority of those polled felt this activity was appropriate, more than 57 percent felt that the email use significantly reduced their daily productivity. The damages could plausibly amount to millions of dollars in revenue lost every year. All of this personal email use can also produce an additionally grim...