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EEMA (the European Forum for Electronic Business) has developed a document for companies wishing to lay down ground rules regarding e-mail usage.
The document, entitled 'e-mail best practice policy' is a suggested template for companies and was compiled by EEMA's user interest group with contributions from various other groups including Lotus, Nexor and Siemen's Business Services.
According to the EEMA, there has been 'unquestionable confusion' in the marketplace in relation to e-mail use at work, and that the document was compiled to clarify some of these confusing issues and to give constructive guidance to companies in this area.
"Many of our members are large multi-national users, and they encountered just about every possible e-mail problem," Jane Hebson, manager of the interest groups at EEMA told ElectricNews.Net. "Collectively they had a bit of a brain-storming by e-mail addressed all the relevant issues. It's common sense basically."
The authors of the report suggest that companies adopt the policies contained within it, to help control the usage of company e-mail by employees. Included in the guidelines are the company's right to open and read any messages to prevent damage to the company and to reserve company integrity.
It also suggests the prohibition of offensive material in e-mails, including sexually explicit messages, pornographic images, cartoons, jokes, slander, libel or racial slurs. It also suggests the prohibition of e-mails which concern illegal activities, or those which contain highly confidential information.
The report also includes suggested tips for sending e-mails as well tips for replying to mail.
In October of 2000 the German government was considering a law that would have placed some restrictions on the rights of employers to monitor employee e-mails. European nations and the EU generally have been embarking on a greater degree of regulatory action in recent years to protect the privacy of employees in the workplace, when compared US policies which are not designed to protect employees to the same extent.
EEMA was formed in 1987 to provide a neutral platform for the whole spectrum of electronic commerce and business. It has over 240 pan-European companies as members, including Irish companies Baltimore Technologies and Certification International. EEMA has also produced an Acceptable Computer Usage Policy. Both this document and the e-mail Best Practice Policy are available on at EEMA's Web site: www.eema.org. The company is currently working on a confidentiality issues document, which will be available in June.
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