Panel members were asked to express their opinions about management punishing some of the company's employees because of the content of the employees' e-mail. Two of the panel did not consider the matter an ethical issue, but the other 23 believed that the company acted unethically. This provides empirical support for the position that there is a moral decision involving a company's e-mail policy. That is, the employee should not be an agent of the employer who must comply with any legal request of the employer. The relationship should operate under a voluntary contract between free agents.
Employers have the right to restrict the use of company resources, including e-mail.
If there is no company policy in place, then it is a violation of a person's privacy to read e-mail intended for someone else. Employees must be informed in advance whether it is permissible to use e-mail for other than company business. To improve the acceptance of such practices, employers should explain the business reasons for such monitoring. Employees should be informed that e-mail is inherently more accessible than other forms of communications. Conclusions E-mail is a new type of technology for which ethical practices are still being defined.