Policy for use of email at work - help please

[user5050832]

Hi there,

I am working for this company that require employees clock in and clock out via e-mail to my supervisor. Just to track of my clock in and clock out time, I am copying my private e-mail too.

Company policy requires that I do not use office e-mail for private use. I do not use company e-mail for any purpose except for this because I suspect that I may not be being paid for the actual hours I worked for and there is no other way that I can track my hours.

They have very unscientific clock in and clock out policy because sometime we forget to clock out and in for lunch at right time.

I do not think that my clock in and clock out information is a confidential information for the company. I am not even sending it to anyone but me. What do you guys think is this a violation of company policy anyway? Am I not supposed to or allowed to track my hours if I want to? Does it constitute the violation of company's confidentiality policy?

Please help.

Regards,

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I would ask your company if this is OK

 

[Diode]

It sounds like you might have already gotten in trouble for this.

Any rules regarding corporate property use (ie the computer) are well within legal rights of the company. By using such equipment you usually have to click through an agreement when logging in that states you will adhere to company policy while using such equipment.

If the corporate policy prohibits emails to personal email addresses and you did not get prior approval your SOL.

 

[Consultant]

Depends on the company. Most places would understand that it's for record only.

 

[user5050832]

However, is it not my right to be able to track my work hours. I do not copy anything but when I clock in and clock out I also copy to my private e-mail.

Why the company should have problem with that in the first place? I do not know whether the employer want to allow copying my clock in and clock out to my private e-mail.

What if they are not paying me for the hours I worked for? Can I not be protective of my pay? Do I not even have that right as an employee?

 

[r.j.s]

I think the policy would be more at things that are actually personal business, like emailing friends and forwarding stupid chain letters.

The only way to know for sure is to ask.

 

[user5050832]

Thank you guys for all your answers. I am expecting more answers and it would be more helpful if anybody shed light from legal perspective too.

Are there any legal experts out there who can address my issue?

Thanks!

 

[r.j.s]

Are there any legal experts out there who can address my issue?

Thanks!

You should really contact an actual lawyer if you want real legal advice. Otherwise, you might be taking advice from a 13 year old.

 

[MacVixen]

I'm no lawyer, but I highly doubt that it is a legal issue in the sense that you likely could not be prosecuted for doing this. But it very well could be a violation of company policy as you have described so your employer could fire you over that.

If you really want to keep a record for yourself, why not just print out the email you send to your supervisor? Keep a file in your drawer at work and there you go - not violating company rules, yet protecting yourself when it comes to your timecard.

 

[rpaloalto]

Why cant you just write down your clock in clock out times. On paper for your own use?
If the Company has told you not to use the computers for sending personal email. You need to follow the rules.

 

[Dmac77]

Seriously. You can't write it down? Stop complaining about this. Just write down your time and deal with it. If you don't like your employer's policy regarding IT equipment, go find another job.

Edit: I just love that this is the OP's first post/thread.

Don

 

[kymac]

would it be possible to write down your hours instead? or print out your sent email?

 

[mscriv]

Bottom line is if you do this without supervisor or company permission then you are taking a risk that could lead to disciplinary action. The printing suggestion is a good one. Another thing you can do is just make an email folder on your work computer email program and copy the emails to yourself using your work email. Then your saving a digital copy of all of them at work on your work computer and if there is ever a question about your check or hours you can then print them out. If you use the same email program at home and work then you can just archive the folder every so often and save a copy to a usb drive that you can then transfer to your personal computer for back up. It's up to you, but some companies are just really serious about their computer policies and violating them is risky.

 

[user5050832]

Guys, It's really great inputs from everybody. Each of you essentially saying the same thing. I would like to admit that employees have no right at all.

I am very well know that the company does not want to allow this. My questions is why should they be concerned about it because it does not violate the confidiality or anything about their business.

Writing down and taking printouts may even send them a bad message that I do not trust them. This is an easy method of keeping track of my hours so I was doing it. Looks like I have to stop doing it.

Kudos to all employers!

 

[Dmac77]

Guys, It's really great inputs from everybody. Each of you essentially saying the same thing. I would like to admit that employees have no right at all.

I am very well know that the company does not want to allow this. My questions is why should they be concerned about it because it does not violate the confidiality or anything about their business.

Writing down and taking printouts may even send them a bad message that I do not trust them. This is an easy method of keeping track of my hours so I was doing it. Looks like I have to stop doing it.

Kudos to all employers!

Your kidding right? Your employer can read every email that you send and receive. If they wanted to, they could just look at your emails, and realize that you're keeping track of your hours. But they have no right to search you every day to see if your taking a piece of paper with you, unless you work for the CIA or something like that.

Don

 

[No1451]

Guys, It's really great inputs from everybody. Each of you essentially saying the same thing. I would like to admit that employees have no right at all.

I am very well know that the company does not want to allow this. My questions is why should they be concerned about it because it does not violate the confidiality or anything about their business.

Writing down and taking printouts may even send them a bad message that I do not trust them. This is an easy method of keeping track of my hours so I was doing it. Looks like I have to stop doing it.

Kudos to all employers!

Any company that would fire for an employee ensuring they are being paid properly is not a company I would want to work for, if they have any issue with it leave and try to find other work. Can't trust a place that would behave like that. I wonder though if since you are sending an email, can't you just BCC your personal email every time you send the email to verify your clock in/out times.

Paper is fine too but not as easy or foolproof in case you ever have to pull it up in the future.

 

[user5050832]

Any company that would fire for an employee ensuring they are being paid properly is not a company I would want to work for, if they have any issue with it leave and try to find other work. Can't trust a place that would behave like that. I wonder though if since you are sending an email, can't you just BCC your personal email every time you send the email to verify your clock in/out times.

Paper is fine too but not as easy or foolproof in case you ever have to pull it up in the future.

I was actually using BCC for this but if they search my e-mail, they will find out that I am BCCing all along. They have stated in their policy that they can search the computer, desk and drawers at anytime for any reason whatsoever. I would definitely like to find another job but it's really hard to get a job thesedays due to the state of economy the way it is. Hope I find another job soon so I don't have to deal with these people.

 

[OscarTheGrouch]

For some reason my BS meter is really going off on this.....

 

[Diode]

I was actually using BCC for this but if they search my e-mail, they will find out that I am BCCing all along. They have stated in their policy that they can search the computer, desk and drawers at anytime for any reason whatsoever. I would definitely like to find another job but it's really hard to get a job thesedays due to the state of economy the way it is. Hope I find another job soon so I don't have to deal with these people.

Your going to find that policy with any workplace utilizing any corporate equipment. They own that property and not you ... sorry to burst your bubble.

A good example of this was with the posting of the Enron emails to the web. People don't seem to understand that emails sent to and from their work computers are not considered private and in fact can be legally monitored by corporate software.

 

[notjustjay]

I was actually using BCC for this but if they search my e-mail, they will find out that I am BCCing all along. They have stated in their policy that they can search the computer, desk and drawers at anytime for any reason whatsoever. I would definitely like to find another job but it's really hard to get a job thesedays due to the state of economy the way it is. Hope I find another job soon so I don't have to deal with these people.

So have you actually got in trouble already for doing this, or are you just afraid that you might, because of what their policy says?

Most companies have a policy that sounds similar. The companies I've worked for allow "limited personal use" of internet resources, meaning they don't really care if I am OCCASIONALLY surfing MacRumors during work hours (*cough*) as long as I'm still doing my job. But they've totally blocked Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, etc.

I keep track of my in/out hours in a logbook that I keep on my desk, but I do so mostly to track which charge codes to use and how many overtime hours I've worked.

 

[emmawu]

I bring my MacBook Pro to work for lunch time cruising. Our supervisor has really clamped down on any personal computing time during work hours, lunch ours or even after work. I used to get in early to pay my bills, answer email,etc and really got reamed out for it. So now I use my personal computer and everybody's happy.

PS My husband has the same problem with a completely different employer. If you job has wifi, no problem