Prevent Lawsuits with an Effective Email Policy

Email is playing a bigger and bigger role in court cases these days. Just ask Bill Clinton (Monica Lewinski scandal) and Bill Gates (Justice Department's antitrust suit)! A carefully drafted email policy can prevent abuse of your organization's email and reduce your exposure to lawsuits.

A good email policy can help you avoid claims of

- Racial Harassment

- Sexual Harassment

- Defamation

- Invasion of Privacy

- Employees Terminated for Sending Inappropriate Emails

- Disclosure of Trade Secrets

DON'T: Don't become a test case in this emerging technology. Be proactive and create a policy that reduces the potential for email litigation.

DO: Do inform your employees that personal use of your email system must be kept to a minimum.

DO: Do warn employees that your email system is not private and that you may monitor the system.

DO: Do remind your employees that they should treat email messages with the same care, confidentiality and professionalism as other written business communications.

DO: Do let your employees know that access to your computers, email and distribution lists are restricted to authorized employees.

DO: Do warn your employees that harassing, discriminatory, defamatory, fraudulent, obscene, indecent, embarrassing or intimidating emails are not permitted and can result in discipline, up to and including termination.

DO: Do distribute your email policy to each of your employees and require them to sign an acknowledgment form agreeing to follow the policy.

DO: Do include your email policy in you employee handbook.

WE CAN HELP

You do not need to create an email policy from scratch. You can benefit from the considerable time and energy we invested to create a comprehensive Electronic Communications Policy.

Better yet, take advantage of our employee handbook program. We will create a customized employee handbook that fits the needs of your business, including the Electronic Communications Policy, in just two weeks and for only $595. We will then keep track of your custom provisions, follow the changes in employment law, monitor new legal strategies for preventing employee lawsuits and make it easy for you to update your employee handbook each year. Let us pay attention to your employee handbook and changes in the law so that you can focus on your business.