The information that is available to everyone on the internet, and more particularly to individuals within an organization is far greater now than it was just a few years ago. Despite the obvious advantages of this forward movement of technology, it creates a severe problem with control of information. Whereas organizational information in the past would typically follow a formal chain of command or an informal office communication network, it can now be passed around the world in milliseconds over the internet.

Implementing and maintaining a set of checks and balances to ensure that e-mail and other means of electronic communication are used only in an acceptable manner can prove to be a difficult, time-consuming and costly endeavor. Therefore it is critical for any organization to establish policies and procedures for dealing with these problems in order to ensure the company is not faced with a liability problem for the d

A written policy should include some of the following the key elements which are necessary for a typical organization entering the information age.

Although the previous policies may foster openness with regard to reporting problems in the organization, they do not do a great deal to prevent the problem. Therefore it is crucial that the policy state the legal implications for everyone involved in such an incident. This portion of the policy should state that victims will be free from retaliatory actions from management and other employees and that those responsible for investigation will keep all information as confident as possible and conduct the investigation as objectively as possible. Most importantly however, the consequences for those who are guilty of causing the problems must be clearly outlined. Prompt and decisive disciplinary action should be administered as soon as anyone in the company is found guilty of wrongdoing.

A self-administered computer based training program can be developed using standard office applications such as Microsoft Office and can be generated by a knowledgeable user in just a few days. This type of training program must be supplemented by a hardcopy of standard rules and procedures for use of company e-mail and also include a copy of the company's policy as previously outlined. Each new employee would be required to complete the self-administered training program and to sign a copy of the company's polices and procedures before receiving e-mail authorization.

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Approximate Word count = 1192
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)