My wife says you should never put anything in a company e-mail that you don’t want to be shown to 12 strangers on a big movie screen. She practices employment law, including sexual harassment lawsuits, and she said you wouldn’t believe what people put in e-mails that end up being shown to juries in public courtrooms.
Searching electronic archives of company e-mails and files is becoming an increasingly useful tool for lawyers involved in lawsuits against you or your boss. It’s called “e-discovery.”
Following are phrases that lawyers and investigators like to search for, from Roger Matus’ “Death by E-mail” blog:
- “I could get into trouble for telling you this, but…”
- “Delete this email immediately.”
- “I really shouldn’t put this in writing.”
- “Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.”
- “Is this actually legal?”
One Comment
The other day I was about to send my boss an email when I paused and wondered if the information really belonged in the system. I’m new to this job so I really didn’t know for sure. Rather than take any chances, I did something radical. I got up from my desk, went to my boss’ office, and talked with her face-to-face.
I’m sure anyone who comes across this comment will be in shock. I could have just picked up the phone, but I wasn’t sure if meaning would be lost. I had information in my hand that might help if I was face-to-face with my boss, so that was part of the reason I decided to be so bold. (Yes, I’m being a little sarcastic.)
People need to think twice about what gets put in emails, text messages, and on the Internet. Those words are accessible for years and years. You think they’re buried and gone until the day arrives when someone drags them up to haunt you.
For me, the best insurance is to be civil, honest, genuine, and sincere. OK, I did violate that standard above when I was sarcastic, but I was honest.