Below is a list of 9 key recommendations for Email Monitoring:
1. Conduct an Impact Assessment to identify the business purpose for email monitoring and confine it to what is necessary to accomplish that purpose. Monitoring should only be used as necessary and not be intrusive on the employees’ email communication.
2. Develop, or modify, corporate policies that cover email use (such as the Acceptable Use Policy, Information Security Policy and/or Computer Use Policy). Make sure that all users accept these policies and they are documented.
3. Train users on current best practices of email management and use.
4. Allow management to appraise their staff regarding email use and what standards will be used to evaluate their performance.
5. Enforce and police all policies regarding email use at all times.
6. Consider which email monitoring tools are appropriate for the organisation. Only implement when supporting processes, procedures and resources are in place.
7. Frequently review and update corporate policies to ensure they fully comply with the law and regulations, and any changes thereafter.
8. Communicate any changes of policy to all email users and management.
9. Thoroughly consider the costs of excessive monitoring, such as ethics, low morale, high turnover, and potential lawsuits.