Tips on Using Company Email for Private Use

Before you start using company email for personal use, you should remember that all email is saved and in some cases is monitored. This means that you could lose your job, be placed on probation, or lose promotions for your misuse of company email. But there are ways to avoid using company email the wrong way.

When sending email to coworkers, keep the email short and try not to get too personal. While you may be trying to be funny or sarcastic, other people may not view it the same way. Keep intra office communication polite, but short. Do not forward jokes or other items that you find amusing. Chances are other people have already seen these emails and they do not want too many in their box. Be respectful to others that you work with.

Do not use company email as personal email. Do not give out your business email address to friends that will email you often. You could be caught looking at this email or the email could be monitored. Only give your business email to business contacts or family members that will only use it for emergency uses. This will keep the traffic to your inbox to a minimum. You will also not have to worry about content that may be sent to your inbox that is inappropriate.

By monitoring your email usage, you will be spending less time checking your email and more time working. Delete any messages that are spam or sound like spam. You should also avoid opening email that may contain sexual content. Someone could see you looking at these materials and you could be fired.

Find out your company's policy on internet and email usage. Knowing in advance what your company' policies are will help you decide what to do when you receive email that is not appropriate from web sites. If you receive inappropriate email from those in the office, you should report it. This will help keep email for office use only.

Using computer equipment, office supplies, and other items for personal uses are never good ideas unless you have permission to do so. If you are unsure about what to do, either ask your HR department or avoid answering or opening email that does not appear professional. Be careful about who you open email in front of and remember that all email correspondence will be saved or randomly monitored.