A review of the ethics of email use in the UK has turned up some alarming results. Right across the spectrum of problematic emailing, from widespread political use of it to “back stab” colleagues in the quest to further their own careers, through to sending racist, sexist, pornographic or discriminatory emails, UK employees are habitually contravening guidelines.
The NOP survey was commissioned by SurfControl, and questioned 100 white collar workers from each of the UK’s largest cities. OF these, 38% use email in the pursuit of political gain within their company. Perhaps spurred on by the recent shenanigans in the DTI, employees are using email as an easy way of drawing attention to colleagues’ mistakes in front of other recipients. By simply hitting “reply all”, “forward” or using the CC and BCC buttons strategically, email can become a tool to further careers at the expense of others.
Londoners appear the most Machiavellian, but not by that much. Percentage using email as a political tool i.e. to highlight a colleague’s mistake in front of others:
London 55%
Leeds 40%
Cardiff 39%
Newcastle 37%
Manchester 34%
Birmingham 34%
Edinburgh 32%
Liverpool 29%
Email also offers many employees an alternative to face-to-face or telephone confrontation, and 80% believe that email provides them with a “sense of protection” because everything is written and documented.
Nearly 30% of the UK’s workforce admit to sending racist, sexist, pornographic and discriminatory emails whilst at work, so many (perhaps most?) businesses are potentially vulnerable to legal action if their employees’ emails cause offence to anyone else. The UK’s worst offenders include employees in London, Manchester and Leeds, whilst by no means low, the UK’s most respectable emailers are in Liverpool.
Percentage of employees offending:
London 36%
Manchester 36%
Leeds 31%
Newcastle 28%
Edinburgh 28%
Birmingham 24%
Cardiff 20%
Liverpool 18%
Do you have a formal email policy? Are efforts made to enforce it? Has anyone ever been disciplined for contravening it? Post your comments below.
