Employment Equity Act Compliance: The Internet And E-mail In The Workplace

The abuse of access to the Internet and e-mail systems in the work place present employers with new disciplinary issues and other difficulties. Legal disputes arising from the misuse of e-mail and the Internet are becoming more frequent. The purpose of this brief is to provide a short analysis of the prevailing legal position regarding e-mail and internet use, to highlight some of the potential pitfalls facing employers and to present suggestions regarding strategies for dealing with problem areas.

Due to the rapid introduction of Internet access and e-mail systems in the work- place few employers have developed comprehensive policy and practices to guide employees in the proper use of these business tools. The inherent difficulty with e-mail is that it tends to be seen as an informal system. There are often no set rules as to how or when e-mail may be used and the tone of e-mails are generally more informal and discursive than