Four instances where you're allowed to read your employee's emails

Although your employee's privacy is important, the Interception Act does allow you to intercept your employee's communications.

BUT only under these four conditions.

You may read the contents of your employee's email under these four conditions:

1. You have been authorised in writing by your employee to do so;
2. You have very real grounds for suspecting that some form of abuse is taking place;
3. You have informed the employee concerned in advance that the emails might be intercepted; and
4. The email was sent in the course of your company's business.

Just bear in mind that it's unclear what the Interception Act means by the phrase 'in the course of your company's business'.

If this includes private emails sent during business hours, then this may give you the right to read them. But if it only means you can look at emails sent for business reasons then this isn't a licence to read private emails, even if they are sent during business hours, warns the Labour Law for Managers Loose Leaf Service.

So, until the courts provide clarity on this issue, you need to tread extremely carefully in this area.

Knowing the four instances when you're allowed to read your employee's emails will ensure you don't infringe on his privacy.