Curious about this as I am in my final days with my current employer but they have already disconnected my email access and have re-directed all emails sent to me, to my boss.

The amusing thing is that my riding mates have alerted me to this fact becase there has been an email thread running the past few days about what night we’re riding and how one of the group needs to get a ride in before he has the snip on Friday. That thread has taken some interesting turns in diuscussing the said ‘snip’ and my boss has just started to reply to some of them and make her own comments.

I guess that once I’ve actually ceased to be employed they could do what they like, but while I am still an employee, to what degree can I expect reasonable privacy. BTW apart from some colourful discussion, there has been nothing in the mails that would unfit for work.

Zero rights, in fact many organisations prohibit you from using a works email address for personal correspondance.

Bad move to use work EMail addy for non-work stuff IMO.

I suspect you have no right to privacy, and the use of works email for biking related stuff is arguably not fair on your employer.

I’m under the distinct impression from my overbearing line manager, you don’t have any right to privacy on a work computer for anything or a home computer if you’re logged in to your work email network.

I actually think they are on dodgy ground here, to not tell you, and for your boss to read and join in on conversations that are intended to be personal is a bit off at least.

They have a right to access your emails for business use, but not to read emails that are blatantly personal.

But (depending on your contract) you should not be using work email for personal discussions.

No rights basically on this one

However I bet your boss is also breaking the rules by replying

I actually think they are on dodgy ground here, to not tell you, and for your boss to read and join in on conversations that are intended to be personal is a bit off at least.

They have a right to access your emails for business use, but not to read emails that are blatantly personal.

This looks to be the case actually. It seems, from a quick review of union literature, that they have every right to monitor your emails, but they are obliged to tell you that they’re doing so and they can’t intrude on anythying that is clearly personal.

Bear in mind this is people sending me mail, not me sending it to them. I can’t stop people mailing me.

they have every right to monitor your emails, but they are obliged to tell you that they’re doing so

This. The data protection law is simple here, for once. They can monitor your emails, web traffic, whatever they like; however, they must tell you, they cannot do it secretly.

My understanding is that it depends on the policy the firm has set. If they have no policy then they can access your email for business purposes but not monitor your use or take umbrage at reasonable personal use of your work email. In reality they can often do what they like because the stakes are not often high enough for an employee to shout loud about it.

Reading and (especially) replying to emails that are obviously personal is chuffing thick of your boss though. Do they have a published email policy?

they must tell you, they cannot do it secretly

Yes, but how many contracts/work computer use policies that everyone signs when starting a job will say something along the lines of ‘your e-mail will be monitored’.

Also, data protection is for personal data – they’d probably say work e-mail isn’t personal data, and if you’ve made it personal it’s your fault/breach of the policy.

But as others have said, I’d be very surprised if your boss replying on your behalf isn’t a bit dodgy.

My understanding is that it depends on the policy the firm has set.

This.

They shouldn’t really do that without your permission and without warning you – see e.g Halford v UK. But good luck if you try to take them on – going to the ECHR is pretty expensive and as others have said you’ve probably violated policies!

Well I apprecaite all the insight and replies. It’s not really a bother to me that they are doing this; I think it’s actually quite funny that my boss (55, female) should be reading some fairly colourful exchanges about vasectomys. She seems to be having a sense of humour about it. Here’s what she wrote in one email:

Hi D**** – G** does not access this email address anymore
I hope the op goes well….apparently it’s no worse than a couple of
bricks being slammed….well perhaps I shouldn’t say anymore in email

Medical information is of course classified as sensitive personal information under the data protection act, disclosure of which can in theory lead to a prison sentence – I think if you were so minded you could really wind you boss up on this!

P’raps she’ll come on the ride with you? 🙂