all emails read by boss

Posted by jele (257 days ago)

Hello,

I know that my boss read all the messages I sent or received (business address).

Is it allowed in Hong-Kong? I have no privacy at all.

Thanks for your help

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Claire (257 days ago)

Why wouldn't it be allowed? You are using company equipment, a company e-mail account and company time.

"I have no privacy at all."
A 'slight' exaggeration. Or does your boss listen in on your personal calls, follow you in to the toilet, etc.?

Any reason you can't use a private e-mail address such as Yahoo? Or any reason you can't access a private e-mail address from another computer? I doubt it.

(I am based in Unspecified)

Posted by Shoe Girl (257 days ago)

If you are using your company's email address to send personal emails on the company's computer, I think your boss has the right to read them. A lot of companies have a policy not to use company's emails for personal use. Maybe go to an internet cafe at lunch time if you want some privacy.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jele (257 days ago)

So, I will give more details about my problem to get the good answers:

I do not use the business address for personnal message because it's forbidden in my company.

Privacy was not the good word, but complete lack of trust is better.

Anyway, my question is not does he trust me or not, the question is:

Is your boss (or someone else) allowed to read all your messages (without being c, cc or ccc)?

Thanks


One personnal question for Claire:
do you work?
if yes, will you appreciate that someone is always checking everything you are doing?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by cara (257 days ago)

again, you are using company time. time for which they are paying you. if you are using the company time to send personal messages, then you are, in effect, stealing from the company. you are not being as productive as you could be if you were working.

the boss has every right to make sure that you are doing what you should be doing.

that doesn't mean that i'd like it very much. however, it is his right to make sure that you are doing the job that you were hired to do.

how long have you been working for the company?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jwm (256 days ago)

How is he reading your e-mails if you are not sending them through a work e-mail. does you boss have access to your private e-mail account, if so how did he get it.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by evildeeds (256 days ago)

There is no law in HK to prevent the monitoring of business email or internet sites visited. That's it plain and simple. It happens in many companies here, so the answer you are looking for is Yes - They can.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Chicken Curry (256 days ago)

The poster has stated that (s)he does not use company email for personal purpose. The question is whether the boss has the right to read poster's company emails.

Emails sent through company's address are properties of the company and many companies do set the policy to reserve their right to access employees' emails and monitor employees' internet usage. However, a good internal control system should also prevent the manager's possible abuse of his/her power. So it is not right that your manager has full access to ALL your emails, regardelss. He/she should only be given the responsibility to monitor your interne sites visited and lenghth of time you visited and give his/her opinion as to whether the usage are work related. FULL access to your email should be allowed only under special circumstance AND when properly approved by your boss' boss.

Employees do deserve their privacy. E.g. whistle blower's email, sexual harrassment complaints, list goes on and on.

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by Chicken Curry (256 days ago)

Jele - a question for you: how do you know your manager is reading all your emails received and sent through your business address?

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by Claire (256 days ago)

quote: One personnal question for Claire:
do you work?
if yes, will you appreciate that someone is always checking everything you are doing?


Yes I work - including a paper round, I've been working for 30-odd years. I've come against many different types of managers. Some take a hands-off approach; others micro-manage every aspect of the office. Sounds like you have one of the latter. Some people are okay working for the micro-managers, if you are not it's best you look elsewhere for a job because you'll never feel secure or trusted.

TRUSTED. A completely different term from privacy. If you want answers that address your concerns, please use the right words and make your position clear. It will save respondents time and from having to make assumptions.

BTW, the PCPD has information on staff monitoring at:
http://www.pcpd.org.hk/english/ordinance/files/monguide_e.pdf

As you can see the government is being wishy-washy on this and doesn't want to tackle the situation (as usual). Just giving guidelines.

If you boss is being a jerk about this, then find a best boss. In my experience, there are some out there! LOL

(I am based in Unspecified)

Posted by evildeeds (256 days ago)

And as stated in my post above I answered that question. Now although you have stated a moral policy you have not stated the actual laws laws....."FULL access to your email should be allowed only under special circumstance AND when properly approved by your boss' boss"..........doesn't mean a thing unless it's backed up by law which it is not in HK. What if his / her boss is the top boss? This monitoring could be passed down to a sub-ordinate. We do not know and without law it does not make a difference.

For the purposes of whistle-blowing, sexual harassment complaints someone would have to be pretty stupid to use the offending companies email system to make a report - these activities (required as they are) should be done in a much secrecy as possible - someone would be pretty crazy to even use web mail at their company to do this.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jele (255 days ago)

I am working in the company for many years, but only for one year in HK. Before I was working in west europe.

My company has been bought by another one. And during a meeting with our new owner, my boss explained that he was checking all messages for everybody.

So the law doesn't prohibited this attitude. But we are also video monitoring and I was noticed of this by a official letter.

Shouldn't I have an official letter for email monitoring also?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Thames (254 days ago)

I worked, albeit briefly, in a private bank here. It was run by a mad boss who insisted that part of my job was to read every single piece of communication that came in to and that went out of the office. Letters, e-mails, courier receipts - the lot! Time-consuming for me, and in my opinion it displayed a complete lack of trust in the employees, but it was part of the deal and everyone was made aware of it when starting with the company.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jele (253 days ago)

Thames, I know exactly how you can feel.
But nobody told me that I will be monitoring, I discover this during a meeting.

Do you think it's legal?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by GreenValleys (253 days ago)

Put it this way, it's not illegal in HK. You are using company resources presumably in company time. Whilst it might stink it's not illegal. There's a specific legal requirement to advise employees about workplace video monitoring. (And that extends to hidden cameras in a private home when there's a domestic helper living there.)

(I am based in Jakarta)

Posted by Saikunga (252 days ago)

Does your boss actually do any work as reading all communication would just be so time consuming that I can't see how he could get his job done! Maybe they have said this to prevent people from messing around in company time.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jele (252 days ago)

I am on holidays today, so I can answer in the afternoon !

My boss is checking the messages of around 10 personnes. How is he doing to have time to do his job?
He comes at 8:30 the morning and never left before 7:00pm, 8:00 most of time. But he still have not enough time to do his job, so he doesn't do it.
I have not said that he was a good employee. For me, he would better trust us and do what he is paid for.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Saikunga (248 days ago)

How do people know he is reading the emails? - Is he CC'd on every correspondence - which would seem the sensible thing to do... does he have a manager above him? he obviously does not own the company as he would be getting on with earning money for the company. if he has a manager above him I would approach that person and ask if it is company policy for the managers to read all correspondence. Sort of dob him in without dobbing him in.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by tsuiwah (246 days ago)

"My boss is checking the messages of around 10 personnes. How is he doing to have time to do his job?
He comes at 8:30 the morning and never left before 7:00pm, 8:00 most of time. But he still have not enough time to do his job, so he doesn't do it."


I go into the office before 8am and never leave before 7pm and I don't have time to read all of my own e-mail, let alone someone else's. Then again, I am not the boss.

I think the consensus here is that your boss will not be legally charged with a crime if he/she reads the e-mail that is sent from/to your work e-mail address. Whether we would like this to happen to us is a wholly different and irrelevant matter.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by delphine (238 days ago)

I can see how your boss can read the emails sent to you .. but I am not sure how he can read th emails that you send out, unless you cc him.

(I am based in Bangkok)

Posted by Joe-GZ (238 days ago)

Delphine,
It is very easy to read any emails, IMs, websites or anything else that an employee sees on their computer. There is software that the boss can have installed that will allow him/her to see exactly what is on your computer screen at any time without them ever leaving their office. And you would never know.

As scary as it seems, it is very possible for your boss to know everything you do on the company computer.

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by jele (237 days ago)

No more problem, I've resigned.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by jwm (237 days ago)

That's one way to fix the problem

(I am based in Hong Kong)