Bosses can read your personal emails.

“Workers of Europe beware: your employer may have the right to read those personal emails and instant messages you send from the office.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a company in Romania did not breach the privacy rights of an employee when it monitored his Yahoo Messenger account” there's more but that's the gist of it.

In my opinion this is wrong, as far as I can tell it’s the same as in the old days before mobile phones, if you got a personal phone call at work, you didn't have to share it with your employer, I had some bad bosses in me day but everyone of them respected your privacy when you made or received a personal call, if you were getting them on a regular basis naturally you would be ticked off, that was understandable, but now everything is there in black and white for bosses to read when they like.

Re: Bosses can read your personal emails.

I think bosses have a perfect right to know what their employees are up to in working hours. Of course they aren't going to have time to read every email, but at least they can make occasional spot checks.

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I have to say I agree with this too

Re: Bosses can read your personal emails.

I think bosses have every right to insist that their employees do not engage in personal emailing in office hours at work. They do NOT have the right to read their personal emails.

And however would they get access to it, without knowing passwords, unless they hacked into it? Totally wrong, on every level. Just because someone employs you, they do not own you.

Re: Bosses can read your personal emails.

Dont agree Jem, their equipment is meant for work, so if its being used for something else then that's wrong. Phones are cheap so use your own they can do just about anything.

Mind you i have worked in places that would sack you if you used your phone on site.

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After the European court ruling, that is precisely what they now have a right to do!!!

Re: Bosses can read your personal emails.

Having read the news reports - it was not exactly as portrayed above:
"His employer had discovered that he was using Yahoo Messenger for personal contacts, as well as professional ones.
Because it believed it was accessing a work account, the judges said, the firm had not erred.

The judges said: "The employer acted within its disciplinary powers since, as the domestic courts found, it had accessed the Yahoo Messenger account on the assumption that the information in question had been related to professional activities and that such access had therefore been legitimate."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35301148
I still think its wrong, but I can now understand the thinking behind this particular case. Always pays to do your own research!

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I think that if you have a contract to work for an employer, for a certain number of hours a day, then that is what you should be doing during those hours... working.
If an employer authorizes you to use his equipment to send messages, outside working hours, then that correspondence should be private, but if not I see this law as being right.
If employers had seen some of the messages I have been sent on Messenger, via the work computer I suspect they would be more inclined to sack the employee.

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I agree, as well .....

Re: Bosses can read your personal emails.

How many working hours are lost by employees using emails and mobile phones for personal use? I have to agree employers should have the right to view anything which isn't related to work.