In light of the recent PWC email circulation relating to the rating of some of female colleagues, here are some practical guidelines for employers to consider when it comes to email usage.

• DO have a clear written policy on what is and is not permitted by way of emails and internet usage within the workplace
• DO have a clear policy on Dignity at Work
• DO say that employees can only access emails and internet during lunchtime and outside of working hours
• DO get software which allows your IT department to block access to certain websites
• DO monitor usage by your employees from time to time
• DO NOT have a policy forbidding use of email or internet for personal use when everyone from the CEO down already does it.
• DO NOT accept without analysis and investigating, data from IT usage reports regarding the level of access to certain web sites by an employee, as an employee may well be accessing a news site that gets updates automatically but which does not mean the employee has been accessing it each time the system reads an update