Business Adviser Magazine September 2013 | Page 47

< Percentage of

emails by use.
“If you can prove that employees knew that sending such emails were not acceptable under company policy, your liability can be greatly lessened.”

email. If your company has a clearlystated email policy that details what is considered inappropriate, you can minimize the company’s liability by proving that employees were trained in the proper use of email. If you can prove that employees knew that sending such emails were not acceptable under company policy, your liability can be greatly lessened. Having a good email policy can also give you a competitive advantage over the competition. As email becomes the professional communication medium of choice, composing professional, thoughtful emails can truly put your company ahead of the pack. I can tell you from experience that I have actually won contracts simply because the customer was impressed that I replied to his email quickly and professionally. In other words, I’ve made thousands of dollars just because I respond quickly and use a spellcheck-

er. Is this a great country or what? How do you create an email policy? If you have other existing policies in place, such as those that pertain to business communications, access to confidential materials, personal use of the telephone, sexual harassment, etc. you should be able to establish an email policy using the existing policies as guidelines. If you need to start from scratch you can still write the policy yourself with a little time and research; however, many companies rely on professional consultants to do the job for them. When you realize the importance of an email policy and understand the ramifications of not having one, you’ll probably agree that it’s money well-spent. An email policy doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out document. Most policies are no more than a few pages long, written in plain English that every employee can easily understand.

The key to the success of your company email policy lies in the training of your employees. You can’t just establish a policy and expect everyone to follow blindly. Once the policy is written it should be distributed to employees and can even become part of future employment contracts. Explain the policy to your employees and have them read and sign to signify that they understand and will adhere to the rules. Many companies are now realizing the importance of email and are putting on training seminars that not only teach their employees how to stick to the policy, but how to compose and respond to emails, as well.

Here’s to your success!

BUSINESS ADVISER

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