Business Question

[jasonxctf]

as a sales manager, I have the ability to read my coworkers emails. I've noticed that one of my employees has been talking to a recruiter about another job, under her company-issued email address. (yes not very smart)

 

do I...

 

a) confront the employee knowing that this may create a "big brother" workplace.

 

B) ignore the situation knowing that I may be losing an employee soon (small co, would make a huge difference)

 

c) make the hard sell to the employee about why they need to be working here in the first place.

 

d) dont call them out on the carpet about the emails, but ask straight out if they are interviewing elsewhere.

 

thoughts???

[sox4lifeinPA]

do you have an HR dept? You could always say that HR clued you in and you wanted to talk about her about her job satisfaction, mobility, etc. What does she want, how can you as her mgr and/or the company help her achieve those goals. Find out what her "hot button" issues are and press your game from there.

[EvilMonkey]

And backup everything (if you weren't already). Just in case.

 

Since you read the emails, you may already have a clue as to why she is contemplating leaving. Sounds like some combination of C & D may be in order? Depends on how bad you want to keep them.

[knightni]

Prepare a backup plan, then wait it out.

 

Seems awfully... unpleasant to be reading someone else's private emails, even if you can as the boss.

[sox4lifeinPA]

Prepare a backup plan, then wait it out.

 

Seems awfully... unpleasant to be reading someone else's private emails, even if you can as the boss.

 

 

he said it was company email...so it's not a private email.

 

 

[retro1983hat]

Oddly enough, I as an employee, have been dealing with the same situation. I have been looking hard for a job and going on a few interviews. Of course, it is hard to interview outside of business hours so I have been suddenly wearing much nicer clothes to work and cutting out early or going to "pick up family member from airport."

 

I think my boss figured it out becuase out of nowhere, he called me into the office and without saying he knew or suspected, he gave me a pretty good raise. So now I have a second and third interview with two companies and I don't want to rule out my options but I feel some of my good will and negotiating power was lost. Any suggestions?

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Why would you talk to other employees on company email??? bust the moron.

[iamshack]

This is an interesting issue.

 

More and more, employees' tenures with each of their employers is becoming shorter and shorter. The average person holds many more different positions now than he/she did 10 years ago, 20 years ago, etc. And that's not because they decide to move on to better opportunities, but because so many more companies are cutting jobs, going bankrupt, shifting positions overseas, etc,etc. The job market has become increasingly unstable for the average person. Employer loyalty is absolutely not where it once was. Older workers are now phased out for younger, cheaper workers. Employers now ask employees to move to other locations much more so than before.

 

Thus, it has become increasingly necessary for employees to keep their eyes open for other opportunities. Shouldn't they be allowed to do so to protect themselves?

 

Should employers be able to punish employees who look for better opportunities, despite the fact that employer loyalty basically is a dying concept?

[sox4lifeinPA]

This is an interesting issue.

 

More and more, employees' tenures with each of their employers is becoming shorter and shorter. The average person holds many more different positions now than he/she did 10 years ago, 20 years ago, etc. And that's not because they decide to move on to better opportunities, but because so many more companies are cutting jobs, going bankrupt, shifting positions overseas, etc,etc. The job market has become increasingly unstable for the average person. Employer loyalty is absolutely not where it once was. Older workers are now phased out for younger, cheaper workers. Employers now ask employees to move to other locations much more so than before.

 

Thus, it has become increasingly necessary for employees to keep their eyes open for other opportunities. Shouldn't they be allowed to do so to protect themselves?

 

Should employers be able to punish employees who look for better opportunities, despite the fact that employer loyalty basically is a dying concept?

 

 

I think it depends upon the sector of industry you're talking about. The banking industry is vastly understaffed...then again, it depends upon which institution you look at.

 

I think you're just looking at one side of it. From my standpoint as a manager, I see employee loyalty as all but completely gone. In fact, my bank is working on employee retention plans (i.e. employer loyalty). We offer some great packages and are working towards really creating careers for people if they want them...if they stay loyal to us.

[Rex Hudler]

Based on the assumption that you want and need to keep this employee - which you inferred - here is a perfect situation for what I call a Handshake Meeting.

 

It goes something like this. Find a time to talk to her privately. Whether in your office, off site (lunch?) or wherever you can not be interrupted.

 

Tell her you appreciate the work she does and want her input. Ask her how she is feeling about the current situation. Ask her what her long term goals are. Ask her how she views her role within the company. Ask her if there is anything you (or the company in general) can do to make it a better workplace. Ask her what she likes about her job.

 

Just stay general and try to get her to open up and talk honestly without challenging her. Make no mention of the email at this point. Do so in a casual way showing appreciation and that you value her. Hopefully you already have created an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable talking to you.

 

Get as much information as you can without being confrontational and finish by reiterating the fact that you feel she is valuable to the organization. Be prepared if she asks for a raise on how you will handle that. I will say that many employees leave and they tell you it's because of the money. But most of the time, the money is not the bigger problem. Making employees feel valuable, communicating clearly with them both positively and negatively when corrections need to be made and a positive working atmosphere where they feel they can succeed are far more important. Do those things and the money becomes an issue much, much less often.

 

Lastly, based on how the meeting goes should determine your next step. I would not divulge the email issue at that time. However if the meeting doesn't go in a direction you want it to, then you have a responsibility to the company to address the issue. I'd give it a few days before you do that unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Edited February 8, 2008 by Rex Hudler

[CanOfCorn]

Does she know you can read her emails? Is it in the employee handbook? Either way, I agree with Rex. Handshake Meeting.

 

But she is pretty stupid for using her work email. I'm surprised any HR person at another company would want to work with her for just that reason.

[CanOfCorn]

Oddly enough, I as an employee, have been dealing with the same situation. I have been looking hard for a job and going on a few interviews. Of course, it is hard to interview outside of business hours so I have been suddenly wearing much nicer clothes to work and cutting out early or going to "pick up family member from airport."

 

I think my boss figured it out becuase out of nowhere, he called me into the office and without saying he knew or suspected, he gave me a pretty good raise. So now I have a second and third interview with two companies and I don't want to rule out my options but I feel some of my good will and negotiating power was lost. Any suggestions?

 

It can't hurt. Just be prepared for the worst...them letting you go. But employer loyalty, like someone else said, is completely out the window. Neither you nor the company should turn down the opportunity to at least TALK to someone else. Just in case. Just because you are talking, doesn't mean you are leaving. If your boss should confront you, be honest and say you like working at your present job, you are looking out for your best interests and covering all your bases. Good advice from Field of Dreams:

Shoeless Joe: Those first two were high and tight.

So what do you think the next one will be?

 

Moonlight Graham: Either low and away or in my ear.

 

Shoeless Joe: He's not going to want to load the bases.

So look for low and away.

 

Moonlight Graham: Right.

 

Shoeless Joe: But watch out for in your ear.

[shipps]

Your ability to read the employees emails is not there for you to spy on them to see if they are looking to move on to another job.Say nothing,and maybe you shouldnt be reading alot of their emails if you are going to be so offended about something like that.

[EvilMonkey]

Your ability to read the employees emails is not there for you to spy on them to see if they are looking to move on to another job.Say nothing,and maybe you shouldnt be reading alot of their emails if you are going to be so offended about something like that.

So, if while looking for corporate espionage he stumbles upon a plot to kill the mayor, should he stay silent? I mean, the ability to read the emails wasn't put there for him to catch potential murderers. If the business warrants it, he SHOULD be reading the emails, or having a program scan them for key words, etc. The fact that anyone can make it to the age of 18 by now and not realize that ANYTHING you put online, especially on a work computer, can be read by someone else should make you question their smarts. Rex Hudler had a very good suggestion. I hope it works well. You may also want to extend that approach to other employees just to get a feel for the rest of the office. It is nice to get honest feedback.

Edited February 8, 2008 by Alpha Dog

[shipps]

So, if while looking for corporate espionage he stumbles upon a plot to kill the mayor, should he stay silent? I mean, the ability to read the emails wasn't put there for him to catch potential murderers. If the business warrants it, he SHOULD be reading the emails, or having a program scan them for key words, etc. The fact that anyone can make it to the age of 18 by now and not realize that ANYTHING you put online, especially on a work computer, can be read by someone else should make you question their smarts. Rex Hudler had a very good suggestion. I hope it works well. You may also want to extend that approach to other employees just to get a feel for the rest of the office. It is nice to get honest feedback.

I didnt say there is no validation to reading there work emails,but in that situation he should move on because that kind of email is not what he is supposed to be reading them for.I didnt realise he worked for the CIA then I wouldnt have made that statement.

[knightni]

I didnt realise he worked for the CIA

 

ACK!

 

FOREIGNER!

 

SECURITY!

 

 

 

 

 

[CanOfCorn]

I didnt say there is no validation to reading there work emails,but in that situation he should move on because that kind of email is not what he is supposed to be reading them for.I didnt realise he worked for the CIA then I wouldnt have made that statement.

 

The issue is...the person in question is looking for another job ON COMPANY TIME...USING THE COMPANY EMAIL ACCOUNT. In many jobs, that's grounds for dismissal. It's not the CIA, it's a company acting responsibly.

[shipps]

I guess whistle blowing just isnt in my nature.Especially on such a small level of misconduct IMO.If she is getting the job done leave her alone,if she isnt this would be something to bring up.

[Rex Hudler]

I guess whistle blowing just isnt in my nature.Especially on such a small level of misconduct IMO.If she is getting the job done leave her alone,if she isnt this would be something to bring up.

 

Here is the part you don't get. It has nothing to do with whistleblowing at all. Companies have the right to read or monitor emails because they belong to the company. The time at work belongs to the company and the employee has the responsibility to honor that.

 

If you were paying attention, the original post wasn't one questioning whether discipline should be dispersed, but more of a concern of losing a needed employee.

 

Granted no one wants to work in an environment where someone is always looking over your shoulder. But let's not act as if a manager is supposed to ignore an employee who is breaking policy (or at least being somewhat ignorant and not realizing it). Follow the rules and whistleblowing is never an issue.

[Steff]

Follow the rules and whistleblowing is never an issue.

 

 

And that's the bottom line. Potential employers who know you are still currently employed are well aware that you likely can not communicate with them until after normal business hours. It's commonplace these days. Using a current job's resources to secure another job is grounds for immediate termination. When you accept that employee handbook at the start of your employment you agree that the company owns your email and anything you send or receive via it. Stupid on the part of the employee. I would terminate them per violation of company policy.

 

[southsideirish71]

My avatar loves this thread.

 

In reality there are some checklists you should abide by before performing these types of investigations even in a corporate environment. One is you must have a applicable acceptable use policy that the employee is aware of and cannot state they didnt see it. The easiest way for this is part of the hire pack from HR where they have to sign it with other corporate policies, the other is a banner that the user must access and cannot bypass for corporate access. Failure to do either may put you in a situation where you are violating the federal wiretap statute or some applicable state law and can put you at risk for litigation. I am a bit uneasy to give business managers the ability to read their employees mail. I dont know how small of a company you have, but in most companies this function is handed out to an investigations team or information security officer working directly with HR and Legal. Its one thing to have an automated system that flags emails for policy violations and then you dig deeper in the investigations, its another one when you are just digging through peoples emails for kicks. Remember without procedures, and repeatable processes you open yourself up to litigation.

 

Now as far as my opinion on this matter. I consider any associate who has went through the soul searching, has decided to take enough of an action to start to actively interviewing for a job someone I dont want to keep. This is not just someone sending out a resume, this is someone sneaking around looking for another company to work for. Maybe the company is one of your competitors or in a similar industry. Now the pattern I see for the associate leaving is the following. They sneak off and interview. Taking days off, coming in late. They start to show more and more apathy to the company. When they secure the job, they start the process of separation. They remove their personal items, and at this time they usually take work product home. This can range from customer lists, pricing guides, internal memos, items that they use for their job at your company. This is part of the level of familiarity that people have and is part of the security blanket they use to help them bridge from their old job to their new one. Now as much as the employee might have created some of these documents, these are work product for your company. By taking some of this you can get into trouble with some of the compliance laws out there. What if the associate is an HR rep and steals medical information. You will love the HIPAA fines your company will get plus your customers will love the disclosure statements. Your employees will love the new credit watch information that they get. And your company has sunk a lot of money over someone that should of been walked out the door the minute you find out. Do you know where most of the intrusions happen. Its not from Joe Hacker, its from Bob from Accounting who hates his job and just took a new one. This is the guy you have to worry about. The bitter guy who you stole the red staple from. This is your risk candidate. Now that he has his safety net he gets ready to get even. Either way. This person is making an active effort to leave your company more than I am just upset with my job.

 

For me the easiest answer for this is to avoid this situation. Take the time to talk to your employees. Not just in the review. Every so often take the person out to lunch. Ask them how they like things, if there is anything that is bothering them. Any processes that you need to work on. I have done this for years with my employees and have not had too many issues. My peers think of it as coddling. To me its an investment in key assets. When you get to the point of seperation its too late. Cut the cord and take a lesson learned.