Corporate privacy.

It seems that we are about to engage in a debate over privacy in the workplace. At issue is the right of employers to oversee the emails that their employees send and receive.

What seems to be the sticking point is the difference between official company emails - and the private emails that employees send - in company time - to friends or in pursuit of information and prices of goods for private purchase.

Company business emails fall into the same category as company letters. Official letters comprise a copy for the company files and management has always had the right to inspect such documents for accuracy and to ensure that the contents comply with policy. Emails from employees may contain quotations on price and sales details that the company has ever right to inspect.

Some companies forbid the use of private emails while others are more tolerant and now it seems that the law is to be changed to allow the boss to oversee all and every email passing through the company computer system.

Opposition to such a right seems to stem from the notion that even if an employee sends an email critical of the firm or containing matter that could injure that firm's reputation - the boss has no right to intercept it - much less take disciplinary action. The principle of " freedom of speech " is therefore extended to " freedom of email message ".

Most firms are tolerant of a reasonable amount of email traffic of a private nature - just the same as they tolerate private telephone calls during office hours - but it would not be unreasonable to expect employees to restrict content to subjects that they feel comfortable with if intercepted.

It seems to be the province of activists and stirrers who demand the right to send offensive emails and denigrate the company and it's officials who demand the right to privacy.

If the law is changed then such people have already been warned - and if they persist and continue to send offensive emails then whatever form of contribution falls on their shoulders is of their own making !