Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

Email – the new office chatroom?

UK research reveals what employees are really talking about on work email

London, UK, 8 November 2005: More than 90% of employees use work email to organise their social life and send jokes, according to a survey released today by Cryoserver, the forensic email archiving and compliance company.

Cryoserver surveyed a selection of UK employees from various industries about their email habits, particularly focusing on those that were non-work related. The results reveal that more than half of employees use work email for a number of things besides work, discussing everything from news and current affairs to their social life during office hours. The top ten non-work related uses were:

1. Discussed / organised social life or weekend plans — 98%

2. Jokes / humorous emails — 90%

3. Discussed / organised holiday plans — 78%

4. Conducted non-work related business — 76%

5. Organised birthday parties / stag nights etc. — 74%

6. Discussed dinner plans — 70%

7. Discussed relationships / love life or other personal issues — 64%

8. Discussed or gossiped about colleagues — 56%

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

9. Discussed news and current affairs — 56%

10. Discussed local restaurants / pubs — 50%

This survey raises important issues for employers both from a productivity perspective and legal point of view under the Data Protection Act. With regards to productivity, almost all of the employees surveyed use work email for organising their social life, more than three quarters organise holidays on it and almost two thirds of respondents discuss their relationships on the work email. Furthermore, if companies are going to allow personal communications to take place over their email systems, which many do according to the survey, they also face data protection issues. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, organisations are required to protect any personal data held on their systems.

Email backup tapes, commonly used by organisations, do not meet these requirements and should only be used for disaster recovery purposes, not investigations. Other than banning personal email altogether, a simple solution available to companies is to install an audit and compliance system capable of storing the emails passing through their networks and recording any search requests made by authorised users. Such systems address the privacy and data protection issues brought about by personal email at work whilst also acting as a deterrent against overuse of personal emails.

“It is clear from this survey that a large number of companies are breaking regulations set under the Data Protection Act as well as suffering from lower productivity brought about by excessive use of personal email at work,” said Paul Grossman, CEO of Cryoserver.

“The only way organisations can achieve the necessary safeguards to allow them to retain emails yet still observe data protection rules, is to install a forensic audit and compliance system. The system complies with companies’ data protection needs, and by making employees aware that their emails are being retained, provides an incentive to keep their personal emails to a minimum.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Latest Products

Panasonic Z95B OLED TV

HDTV 4K & 8K TV

After a long absence from the US TV market, this Japanese tech giant is making a comeback.

Pro-Ject Uni-Box S3 Angle Silver Pro-Ject Uni-Box S3 Angle Silver

Digital Music Systems

Pro-Ject's Uni Box S3 is s compact streaming amp with 40W/channel, MM phono, Bluetooth 5.1, WiiM platform. Pricey, no DSD/MQA, best for efficient speakers.

Final UX3000 SV Headphones in black Final UX3000 SV Headphones in black

New Products

Final’s new UX3000 SV wireless headphones debut with hybrid ANC, voice-first tuning, aptX HD, and 35-hour battery life—crafted in Japan for clarity.

McIntosh MTI100 Sun Records Edition Integrated Turntable Top Angle View McIntosh MTI100 Sun Records Edition Integrated Turntable Top Angle View

New Products

McIntosh MTI100 Sun Records Limited Edition: integrated turntable with tube preamp, Bluetooth, and rare Johnny Cash vinyl for true audiophiles.

Shanling EC Zero T Portable CD Player Shanling EC Zero T Portable CD Player

CD Players

Shanling’s EC Zero T brings hybrid tube/solid-state sound to a portable CD player with R2R DAC, Bluetooth 5.3, and high-end headphone amp—CDs just got...

Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition Loudspeakers Pair Front Angle Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition Loudspeakers Pair Front Angle

Floorstanding Speakers

The $70,000 Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition channels 45 years of studio history into a luxury speaker built on the 801...

Gift Ideas?

Father's Day Gift Guide 2024 Best Tech and HiFi Gifts

Gift Guides

Upgrade Dad's digital lifestyle with gifts he'll enjoy all year and beyond this Father's Day. New Hi-Fi, Headphones, Home Theater and more!

You May Also Like

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers