Employees should not to be lulled into a false sense of security, says Dr. Joseph Kayany, a WMU assistant professor of communication. The employees assumed that their e-mails were private. It was never made clear to them that it was not private. Kayany says companies should develop a policy on sending offensive e-mail if they haven't done so already and should make the policy clear to all employees. Several court cases have upheld a company's right to fire an employee for sending inappropriate e-mail in part because companies can be held liable for creating a hostile working environment, Kayany says.
Companies also have to be careful about what employees do while they are on the Internet.
There also is another question of the work environment. Companies are supposed to guarantee a work environment that is free of sexual harassment and discrimination. These are all arguments that the companies make. And the courts agree with that.