Just as companies have written, spoken, or understood rules regarding the placement and receiving of personal telephone calls, companies should have policies regarding the allowable use of email. Ownership, access, and responsibilities. Policy should make clear the purposes of the email system. It should also be upfront about the fact that the company owns the email system and accounts. This means that the company has the legal right to monitor and inspect any and all email messages.
Ownership brings with it certain responsibilities.
Through its information or data department, the company has the responsibility to maintain the email system. Users, on the other hand, should understand that it is the responsibility of individual users to police their own behavior in accordance with the policy. A decision should be made as to whom within the company will be given email accounts. If there is not going to be universal access to email, then the policy should specify who will have access, why, and the procedure to be followed to request an email account. A set of rules specifying allowable and unacceptable uses and behaviors should be clearly stated.