It’s easy to feel superior (“Even if I did have an affair, I’d certainly never send sexy notes via the company e-mail system!”), but the fact remains that every one of us is in danger of being caught in e-mail’s sneaky trap. This form of communication is simply not what it appears to be:

• E-mail seems confidential, but your e-mail is certainly being monitored: In a recent American Management Association survey of 840 U.S. companies, 60% said they monitor employees’ e-mail, and workplace privacy experts say that’s probably a conservative estimate. Companies are most likely to track e-mail to and from the outside world, but an increasing percentage are also monitoring internal e-mail conversations.
  
• E-mail seems temporary, but in many company systems, an e-mail is forever. Think of all those executives who have gotten in trouble because of old e-mail transgressions; for instance, another former Boeing top executive, Michael Sears, Credit Suisse First Boston’s Frank Quattrone, and Merrill Lynch’s Henry Blodgett.
  
• E-mail seems like virtual conversation, but it’s also a written form of communication. Say something in the heat of the moment, and it vaporizes into the air—you can always take it back or apologize. But write a flippant, inappropriate, stupid comment in an e-mail and it’s a matter of record. It can be forwarded to anyone, including the competition, a member of the media or the chairman of the board. It can be used against you as evidence. It can haunt you forever.

Why does this matter? E-mail is the number one method of communication in most organizations. It’s virtually impossible to get work done without using e-mail. Colleagues don’t work down the hall—they’re across the country or around the world. It’s maddeningly difficult to get someone on the phone. E-mail is often employees’ only choice for transmitting important information.

And yet, in most organizations, employees are up on the e-mail high wire working without a net. Guidelines are needed, as is guidance. Who better to step in and provide that help than communication professionals?

Have a comment or a point of view? Feel free to share it here—and, if you prefer, send me an e-mail.