Okay, show of hands . . . how many of you use your work e-mail account for both business and personal communications? That is what I thought, quite a few of you. Well, I would recommend that you be very careful to separate the two. With so many free e-mail accounts available, sign up for one and use that for your personal stuff.
If you insist on using your work e-mail, then be mindful that your boss can monitor your communications--as long as they have a valid reason for doing so (i.e. no snooping for snooping's sake). A boss may monitor e-mails with an employee's consent or, again, if there is a legitimate purpose for monitoring them in the ordinary course of business. Oftentimes, consent would be in a document you sign upon hiring or in the employee handbook. Some legitimate business reasons include checking productivity, illegal use, or to avoid liability issues related to your communications "on behalf of" the company (by virtue of your use of the company's e-mail).
You, as an employee, should review any your employer's e-mail policy. Also, be careful about what you write or send. In other words, use common sense about what you transmit using a company's e-mail address. All too often, e-mail is a source of great consternation because people seem more at ease typing things that they would not say publicly.
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