# Boss reading my email - What should I do **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234 "2005-04-14T03:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/1 "2005-04-14T03:27:38Z")
I found out today that my boss was logging into the company email server and reading my email, as recently as 9:11am today. I have screen shots and log files to prove it. It is company email, so they have every right to read it and there is nothing in there that is not work related. I know that my boss is worried that I am gunning for his job. I am not, I do not want to work the extra hours. But he is paranoid. I am not sure if I should just shrug this off and decide that having my work email read is the price of being employed or is this something I should pursue with executive management or HR or both. I guess what I am really wondering is wheter this is normal practice for my company that is condoned by management or while legal, is it something no one is really expected to be doing here? So what do you guys think? Should I pursue or let it go? Thanks in advance for your opinons ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/2 "2005-04-14T03:29:17Z")
Crud. Thought I was in IMHO. Can a mod please move this for me? Thx. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/3 "2005-04-14T03:36:43Z")
Even though a company has a right to read your email, it would creep me out too. I wonder what your senior management would say about a supervisor snooping email for, what seems to me, personal reasons: he’s not concerned that you are using email for personal or illegal reasons, he’s snooping because he’s paranoid. This is tough, but I would simply grin and bear it and hope that his karma catches up with him, and senior management decides that they don’t like what he’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/4 "2005-04-14T03:42:28Z")
> [@Twiddle](#): > > I found out today that my boss was logging into the company email server and reading my email, as recently as 9:11am today. I have screen shots and log files to prove it. > > It is company email, so they have every right to read it and there is nothing in there that is not work related. > > I know that my boss is worried that I am gunning for his job. I am not, I do not want to work the extra hours. But he is paranoid. > > I am not sure if I should just shrug this off and decide that having my work email read is the price of being employed or is this something I should pursue with executive management or HR or both. > > I guess what I am really wondering is wheter this is normal practice for my company that is condoned by management or while legal, is it something no one is really expected to be doing here? > > So what do you guys think? Should I pursue or let it go? > > Thanks in advance for your opinons You really have no recourse as far as complaining on principle about the privacy of your email. You already said it’s company mail and you understand the company has the right to read it if their policies dictate that it’s necessary. However, that doesn’t mean anyone can just read anyone else’s email just for grins. Likely there are company policies that say when this can and can’t be done. Think about it… if this weren’t true, you’d have everyone breaking into each other’s mailboxes to dig up dirt. If it were my company, I’d report it to corporate security and say “I think someone has been reading my email but I don’t know who.” (yes, I know you know who, but pretend like you don’t). They would look into the issue and take appropriate action. After some time you’d get a response saying “The access was authorized” or “the access was unauthorized and we’re deciding a course of action.” You might or might not get an explanation to go with it, but at least you’d know if this was legit or an unauthorized vendetta. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/5 "2005-04-14T05:41:32Z")
Is your supervisor part of the IT department of the company? If not, he may be violating company policy by accessing files, or permission levels he is not supposed to be using. Me, I would get someone in another department to send me an email warning me about the dire circumstance that would befall anyone attempting to read other peoples mail on a company owned system. But, then, I don’t have a computer at work. ## Tris “Beware the fury of a patient man.” ~ John Dryden ~ ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/6 "2005-04-14T06:26:25Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > Me, I would get someone in another department to send me an email warning me about the dire circumstance that would befall anyone attempting to read other peoples mail on a company owned system. That’s also a possible course of action… send mail to someone saying “I think my mail is being read, should I contact corporate security?” and tell them to reply “Yes, do so immediately.” Ha. I love messing with sneaks. Apply with discretion in your own situation. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/7 "2005-04-14T06:33:19Z")
You could also send someone an email explaining how you don’t want the bosses job because you couldn’t handle the extra hours etc. He may become disinterested and stop of his own accord. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/8 "2005-04-14T11:30:35Z")
What **NattoGuy** said. Just because the email account is company property doesn’t mean your boss is allowed to read the contents of it. Every company has need occassionally to communicate with employees confidentially, so if everyone was allowed to did into others email then it would make email useless for doing this. Companies should have a policy about such a thing. If your company doesn’t, well, I can see you are in a sticky situation. You can complain, but then people will start wondering why you’re complaining. What you got in there that’s so secret? Anyway you go about things, it’ll be ugly. How about asking a techie friend to send you an innocent sounding email about email security and policy? With a juicy looking, but ultimately equally innocent, subject line. Maybe mention in it how it’s possible to detect when your email is being monitored. ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Brendan\_Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brendan_Donovan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/9 "2005-04-14T12:53:34Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > What **NattoGuy** said. > > Just because the email account is company property doesn’t mean your boss is allowed to read the contents of it. Every company has need occassionally to communicate with employees confidentially, so if everyone was allowed to did into others email then it would make email useless for doing this. Agreed but monitoring remains legal. my true objection is that even if an employee has signed and acknowledged that they have no inherent private correspondence, Why then should I give up mine if I wanted to communicate with someone who uses a company email address? Now I, as a sender have given my privacy away? I don’t think so. Ownership of the address the company has, but absolute rights over the use of this…well I must wait and watch to see if the laws change. Anyway where is the State of Jackson? If its in California you might be in a privy position. IIRC California has extended its constituitonal laws on privacy to those working in the private sector. Your boss may have exposed the company to civil liability. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/10 "2005-04-14T12:54:37Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > You could also send someone an email explaining how you don’t want the bosses job because you couldn’t handle the extra hours etc. He may become disinterested and stop of his own accord. I think you should go even further – start leading him around by his nose: send e-mails to your co-workers discussing who’s working hard and who’s not, lament that you’ve been offered a job elsewhere for more money, but you’re too loyal to your current job, etc. If he thinks he’s getting your inner secrets, he’ll be more likely to believe whatever you throw at him. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/11 "2005-04-14T13:07:51Z")
How were you able to tell that your boss has been doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/12 "2005-04-14T13:13:46Z")
If he’s snooping your email, then it’s possible he may have installed a keylogger on your work PC as well. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/13 "2005-04-14T13:21:31Z")
I am surprised that you are so accepting of the boss (or anyone else) reading staff emails at will. [Here](http://www.privacy.gov.au/internet/email/) is the Australian government’s advice regarding workplace snooping. When I was security administrator we used those principles. Although we had sniffing software, that looked for mainly objectionable material, we did not ever look at staff emails without reason to believe that the staff member had breached their security undertaking. The idea of routinely reading emails would be thought of just as highly as tapping the phone on someone’s desk or going through their personal effects while they are away from their desk. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/14 "2005-04-14T20:30:51Z")
Send yourself an email, from yourself saying, “Dude, I hope y’all stop readin’ my e-mails. Shit is _wack_.” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/15 "2005-04-14T20:38:10Z")
yeah…and sign it as “H-dogg in accounts reciev-bo” ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boss-reading-my-email-what-should-i-do/299234/16 "2005-04-14T21:10:24Z")
I think you know your boss best. What is his reaction going to be to a confrontation and/or you kicking it to management? Also, if he is this paranoid and really coming hard after you, maybe you better think hard about protecting yourself by making a report anyway. Just some issues to consider – no real advice. I got it good at Midstate Office Supply. I gots my dope Lotus software, my stoopid-fresh dry-erase markers, my fly three-ring binders wit’ tha pockets inside, and my own muthaf^ckin’ men’s-room key. Plus, all them fly Marketing Department hos wanna be freakin’ my jock all tha time.