Monitoring Email Tips

Email Policies - Do's and Don'ts

There is a proper way to introduce a policy to your work force that should be should eliminate any distrust issues between employer and employee. Below are a few "Do's and Don'ts" in creating email policies:

Do:

1. Establish a clear set of written rules that address the use of email by employees in the workplace.
2. Explain to your employees the seriousness of software piracy.
3. Include an overview of your company's discrimination and sexual harassment policies in your email policy.
4. Have all of your employees new and old, Managers and Supervisor, sign a written copy of the policy; one for themselves and one for the company.

Don't:

1. Rely on email to communicate your email policy.
2. Assume your employees will train themselves. We all know what assuming does!
3. Construct separate email policies for Supervisors and Managers.
4. Allow employees to brush off the company's policies as senseless and meaningless. Let them know their email usage will be monitored and violators of the policy will be disciplined.

When Is It Appropriate To Monitor Emails?

Monitoring email can be done during anytime of day at any time of the week. If you are a business however, there are a couple of things that you need to remember.

1. What are your business hours? Schedule your monitoring software during peak times. You are not likely to finding anything of any interest if there is nobody at work!
2. Look at break and lunch schedules. Those that decide to abide by some of the rules might find this an appropriate time to send their emails.
3. Don't wait 6 months before you start monitoring a new employee. All employees should be notified during the training process that they will be monitored starting their first shift outside of training.

Another reason for businesses to monitor during peak hours is that it will give you an idea of what your email usage is like during peak hours. This could be an indication of a hardware upgrade if things are beginning to get bogged down.

Email Abuse

Email abuse comes in many different forms. Spam, viruses and advertisements are all a part of these forms. There is however another type of abuse that business owners and HR Departments need to tackle and that is the uses of emails to purposely hurt others. Some examples of this might be:

1. Disguising ones self to look like someone else to send mail. This could be done in the form of an Alias - a name used to conceal ones identity.
2. Hate mail
3. Threatening emails

Email surveillance will help to detect if these activities are taking place and allow authorities to put a stop to it.

What Is Spam?

Spam is the solicitation of unwanted email usually containing offers, advertising of new products and possibly even viruses. Here are some other commonly used phrases used to describe spam:

1. "Junk Mail"
2. Unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE)
3. Unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE)
4. "Grey Mail"

Most email monitoring software today is able to detect spam either by keywords or by the sender, and block it from entering into your inbox. By going to the filter screen within the mail program that you use, you can specify what to do with certain emails that get sent to you. You can have them go to a mailbox that you create based on the sender. You can have emails sent directly to your trash if the email contains certain words or phrases. Or you can stop the email from ever being downloaded to your email program.

Preventing spam from clogging your inbox will make your e-mailing experience a more pleasant one for all family members.

Monitoring Email - Sevice Level Agreements

Support for many products, whether it is software or hardware, can be done via email. A customer will send an email to a support email address containing a problem that they are encountering with their product. A support person will respond with an answer to the problem or multiple answers if the problem could be due to a number of things.

The company providing the support has agreements and contracts in place with the supplier/manufacturer of the product to ensure that a certain a percentage of the emails get answered in a certain period of time. This is known as GOS or Grade of Service. Grade of Service represents a certain number of emails answered in a certain number of seconds such as 20 email / 60 seconds. As well, a percentage of email must be answered in the first reply to ensure customer satisfaction.

With email monitoring, management is able to ensure their staff are answering emails in a timely manner and that the content of the email being sent back to the customer contains relevant information pertaining to the customer problem. Management are also able to make sure that the proper number of emails are being answered

Because revenue scales are sometimes worked into contracts based on Service Levels and the ability to answer questions on the first try, being able to monitor email for coaching purposes is a definite must.

Adult Entertainment In Email Form

When it comes to the Internet, websites featuring content relevant to the "adult industry" is a major concern, especially for those with young families. Pornography has become the "wolf in sheep's clothing" disguising itself in many forms to try and get into to as many households as possible. Email has become one of the mediums the industry uses to attract consumers. Here are just a few ways that marketing companies for Adult Entertainment are trying to get you to see their ads:

1. Greeting Cards sent by a friend - it seems as though a friend has sent you an electronic greeting card. However, when you click on the link to retrieve this card, you soon come to realize that your friend has a sick sense of humor, or that this isn't from your friend at all!
2. Click here to claim your free prize - did you enter a contest?
3. Medication for many different reasons - these types of links only contain medication pertaining to the Adult Industry.

Email monitoring software, when configured properly, will aid in helping to protect you from receiving these types of emails. Filters can be setup to reject certain words, phrases, subjects and senders. If an email is sent to you that contains any of the criteria that you have specified, your filter will kick in and send the email to your choice of mailboxes, most likely your trash!

The Abuse Of Company Policy

It can take a very long time for a company to put together an email policy that fits the business and its employees. As the business grows and changes, the rules have to follow. In order for a business to thrive both internally and externally, employees must adhere to these policies.

Email Polices are put into place to help thwart off some of the misuse of email during business hours. Some example of email misuse are as follows:

1. Email can be distraction from work. The ability to send quick (or not so quick) messages can cause productivity to go down, and more work for others.
2. Email can be used for fraudulent purposes such as the transfer of financial information.
3. Plotting ways of skipping out from work can be another use of email with multiple employees.

Email misuse in the workplace can cause grief for everyone, especially for the one caught in the act.
Businesses that have email policies in place give themselves the ability to monitor email without hassle; helping to increase productivity and decrease the loss of revenue.

How Does Your Email Ride?

Children look for different ways to communicate with their friends without adult ears listening in. Email is a good vehicle for kids to communicate, as it allows them time to write privately and send/receive notes within seconds. Having the ability to monitor emails come and go through your home is key with a young family. Here are just a few options you have today when monitoring e-mails:

1. Alerts by keywords used throughout the e-mail
2. Screenshot of what is on their screen a different times
3. Recording of keystrokes

Proof Is In The Email

Have you ever wished to yourself, "I wish I had received that in writing" or "I wish I was able to record this conversation"? You can. Because of the quick send and response time on email, there is no need for verbal communication. Email monitoring software gives us the ability to capture conversations, remarks and other incriminating comments that may be needed as evidence later down the road.