# OK, so my boss is reading my coworker's email . . .
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [June 13, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605 "2003-06-13T16:16:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/41 "2003-06-13T23:06:23Z")
Heh…I just talked to my boss about something else, and out of curiosity I said “Dennis, what would you do if I just didn’t show up for work one day and you couldn’t reach me by phone?”
He said that would never happen.
I said “But…what if it DID?”
He said they would go over and bang on the door and if I didn’t answer they would call my father (who has a key) so they could find out what was wrong.
I said…“But what if I wasn’t THERE?”
He said…“That is NOT allowed.”
Hee
---
### Author:  [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/42 "2003-06-14T14:23:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mastema \*
> \*\*Just a thought, but if the server in question is backed up regularly, as it should be, then deleting them doesn’t do much good at all if they really wanted to see them. \*\*
Oh, heck yes. Every four weeks we run a permanently archived backup of ALL our servers, in addition to the nightly ones that eventually get written over. You have NO CLUE how often we have to pull these archived tapes back to get email records in cases of lawsuits, HR issues, etc. Not just emails, but items from people’s personal server share folder, too.
---
### Author:  [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/43 "2003-06-14T14:26:27Z")
Oh, and auntie em, I hope she’s okay, so you guys can kill her.
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/44 "2003-06-14T18:56:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JillGat \*
> \*\*Three things:
>
> **auntie em** _WHY_ don’t you receive/send your personal email through yahoo or hotmail??
>
> I’m wondering why the apt. manager let the boss into her apartment, too. Seems to me you’d call the police and go with them to check.
>
> I had a co-worker who sometimes didn’t show up and didn’t notify us. He didn’t seem at all like the partier type. Turned out he was a serious binge drinker, though. Does she have a problem with alcohol? \*\*
1. Well, that’s how it started out, but then I got business cards, and since I never have occasion to go handing those bad boys out, I mostly gave them to my family and friends. So people started emailing me at work, and I just rolled with it. Most people do, in fact, email me at yahoo or hotmail, but every once in awhile I get a personal email here, and just reply without thinking. No more of THAT, though!
2. I did ask my boss later, and he did not go in with the apt. manager; he waited in the hallway.
3. I didn’t think she drank _at all_, but given that she has a penchant for telling . . . er . . . untruths, who knows . . . ?
**astro** , if I could answer that question, I’d be making a killing as a psychic. Given that this is NOT an isolated incident by any means (although to my knowledge we’ve never called the cops before), I honestly don’t know what my boss is thinking. Usually when this happens, he’s too angry to speak to her for a couple of days, and then it blows over. Or he’ll talk to her and she’ll get all defensive and start yelling and crying, and he’ll stop speaking to her for a couple of days. Then it blows over.
(Oh, and as for what I do for a living . . . in a nutshell, I work at a small non-profit that serves as sort of hub for local human service agencies.)
**TroubleAgain** , thanks, but we’re thinking more along the lines of torture.
FTR, I’m not usually in my office on Saturdays, but **Skip** and I came in to order concert tix online . . .
. . . and found my boss here, waiting for the locksmith to come change the locks.
I’ll be back on Monday with updates (stay tuned, **scout1222** ).
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/45 "2003-06-14T18:56:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JillGat \*
> \*\*Three things:
>
> **auntie em** _WHY_ don’t you receive/send your personal email through yahoo or hotmail??
>
> I’m wondering why the apt. manager let the boss into her apartment, too. Seems to me you’d call the police and go with them to check.
>
> I had a co-worker who sometimes didn’t show up and didn’t notify us. He didn’t seem at all like the partier type. Turned out he was a serious binge drinker, though. Does she have a problem with alcohol? \*\*
1. Well, that’s how it started out, but then I got business cards, and since I never have occasion to go handing those bad boys out, I mostly gave them to my family and friends. So people started emailing me at work, and I just rolled with it. Most people do, in fact, email me at yahoo or hotmail, but every once in awhile I get a personal email here, and just reply without thinking. No more of THAT, though!
2. I did ask my boss later, and he did not go in with the apt. manager; he waited in the hallway.
3. I didn’t think she drank _at all_, but given that she has a penchant for telling . . . er . . . untruths, who knows . . . ?
**astro** , if I could answer that question, I’d be making a killing as a psychic. Given that this is NOT an isolated incident by any means (although to my knowledge we’ve never called the cops before), I honestly don’t know what my boss is thinking. Usually when this happens, he’s too angry to speak to her for a couple of days, and then it blows over. Or he’ll talk to her and she’ll get all defensive and start yelling and crying, and he’ll stop speaking to her for a couple of days. Then it blows over.
(Oh, and as for what I do for a living . . . in a nutshell, I work at a small non-profit that serves as sort of hub for local human service agencies.)
**TroubleAgain** , thanks, but we’re thinking more along the lines of torture.
FTR, I’m not usually in my office on Saturdays, but **Skip** and I came in to order concert tix online . . .
. . . and found my boss here, waiting for the locksmith to come change the locks.
I’ll be back on Monday with updates (stay tuned, **scout1222** ).
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/46 "2003-06-14T18:56:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JillGat \*
> \*\*Three things:
>
> **auntie em** _WHY_ don’t you receive/send your personal email through yahoo or hotmail??
>
> I’m wondering why the apt. manager let the boss into her apartment, too. Seems to me you’d call the police and go with them to check.
>
> I had a co-worker who sometimes didn’t show up and didn’t notify us. He didn’t seem at all like the partier type. Turned out he was a serious binge drinker, though. Does she have a problem with alcohol? \*\*
1. Well, that’s how it started out, but then I got business cards, and since I never have occasion to go handing those bad boys out, I mostly gave them to my family and friends. So people started emailing me at work, and I just rolled with it. Most people do, in fact, email me at yahoo or hotmail, but every once in awhile I get a personal email here, and just reply without thinking. No more of THAT, though!
2. I did ask my boss later, and he did not go in with the apt. manager; he waited in the hallway.
3. I didn’t think she drank _at all_, but given that she has a penchant for telling . . . er . . . untruths, who knows . . . ?
**astro** , if I could answer that question, I’d be making a killing as a psychic. Given that this is NOT an isolated incident by any means (although to my knowledge we’ve never called the cops before), I honestly don’t know what my boss is thinking. Usually when this happens, he’s too angry to speak to her for a couple of days, and then it blows over. Or he’ll talk to her and she’ll get all defensive and start yelling and crying, and he’ll stop speaking to her for a couple of days. Then it blows over.
(Oh, and as for what I do for a living . . . in a nutshell, I work at a small non-profit that serves as sort of hub for local human service agencies.)
**TroubleAgain** , thanks, but we’re thinking more along the lines of torture.
FTR, I’m not usually in my office on Saturdays, but **Skip** and I came in to order concert tix online . . .
. . . and found my boss here, waiting for the locksmith to come change the locks.
I’ll be back on Monday with updates (stay tuned, **scout1222** ).
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/47 "2003-06-14T18:58:17Z")
. . . make that back on Monday with FIVE updates.
Sorry, guys.
---
### Author:  [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/48 "2003-06-16T15:15:41Z")
**auntie em** , we are DYING here. What’s going on???😕
---
### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/49 "2003-06-16T15:33:26Z")
What time zone is she in? The suspense is killing me!
---
### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/50 "2003-06-16T15:34:47Z")
She’s in Kansas, I think, so that would make Central Time. If she’s in the other Oz then it’s a long way’s off.
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### Author:  [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/51 "2003-06-16T15:36:52Z")
I see she’s finally logged in - she may be composing the post _as I type this_!!!
---
### Author:  [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/52 "2003-06-16T15:42:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Barrytown \*
> \*\*I see she’s finally logged in - she may be composing the post _as I type this_!!! \*\*
one can only hope
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/53 "2003-06-16T15:48:54Z")
Well, guys, there’s nothing and everything to report.
_She’s still missing._
So nothing, really, has changed since my last post, but the fact that we _still_ haven’t seen or heard from her (especially when, as my boss pointed out, Friday was pay day, and who just walks away from money . . . ?), means that this is getting serious.
Her brother did, in fact, place a Missing Persons’ report with the police, but my boss is taking it one step further now–we have a cop on our Board of Directors (I think he may be a Sergeant), and have now informed _him_ about the matter, in hopes of getting someone involved who has somewhat of a vested interest in our plight.
We’ve also made an attempt to track the purchases made on her company credit card lately–nothing unusual, but sometimes these things take awhile to post to the account. At any rate, the card has been cancelled, and now we’re just waiting.
---
### Author:  [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/54 "2003-06-16T15:53:53Z")
ok, this is getting scary, now. I think, auntie em, it is time to start worrying.
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### Author:  [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/55 "2003-06-16T15:54:59Z")
Not good. Really not good.
---
### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/56 "2003-06-16T15:55:03Z")
Eek!
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/57 "2003-06-16T15:58:07Z")
Truthfully, **Maureen** , I started worrying on Friday. Unfortunately, because she pulls so much crap around here, I was torn at that point between being worried (because what if something terrible has happened) and being pissed (because I figured it would most likely end with her waltzing in the door this morning, alive and well, with some ridiculous explanation).
Now, I’m pretty much just worried.
---
### Author:  [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/58 "2003-06-16T16:00:29Z")
Dang! This is scary. I was hoping she’d have been on a 3-day drunk in Vegas and ended up married or something.
---
### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/59 "2003-06-16T16:03:17Z")
A nice thought, **DeVena** , but it’d still be unusual for her not to have at least called us and made up a giant ridiculous lie about it.
---
### Author:  [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-so-my-boss-is-reading-my-coworkers-email/181605/60 "2003-06-16T16:08:27Z")
I hesitate to ask this, **auntie em** , but do any of you know her well enough to know if she has a man in her life, and what his name is? And have you passed the info on to police?
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