Can Employers Monitor Employee E-Mail?

From youth, our minds are trained to refocus on pending tasks and responsibilities as autumn approaches. Now that the air is crisp and the leaves are garbed in yellow and crimson hues, most readers will have shaken off the haze of summertime. If not, perhaps an old hurdle from this back-to-school season will help alleviate the malaise--the pop quiz.

Quickly, when may an employer lawfully examine one of its employee's e-mail at work?

1. When the employer has "reasonable cause" to believe that the employee is using e-mail harass another employee;
2. Whenever the employer wants;
3. If the employer thinks that the employee is e-mailing his or her resume to other companies for consideration; or