Email is provided by the Village to assist in the conduct of Village business. All messages composed, sent, received, or stored on the electronic mail system are considered business communications and remain the property of the Village. THERE IS NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY FOR ANY EMAIL. Although the Village network and applications used may provide password security, the Village cannot guarantee confidentiality of information transmitted on the electronic communication systems. Therefore, confidential information should generally not be transmitted either inside or outside the organization. Village employees should also be aware that electronic messages deleted by the user are not necessarily removed from the e-mail system.
All email related to Village business should be transmitted via the Village's email system. Use of personal email accounts to conduct Village business is prohibited.
Incidental or occasional use of Village email for personal reasons may be permitted but should be limited to formal lunch or break periods. To ensure that the use of the electronic communication systems is consistent with the Village's legitimate interest, the village reserves the right to access electronic communications when in its discretion the Village determines there is a perceived need.
The following email activity is prohibited:
• Accessing, or trying to access, another user's email account unless you are authorized to do so.
• Obtaining or distributing another user's email account.
• Using email to harass, discriminate, or make defamatory comments.
• Using email in a manner that violates any Village policy or is illegal.
• Transmitting Village records within or outside the Village without authorization.
• Transmitting junk mail, chain letters, or soliciting for commercial, religious, charitable, or political causes except in the case of a Village-supported charity event.
• Sending or receiving copyrighted materials, trade secrets, proprietary financial information, sensitive personnel data, or similar information without authorization from your department director or without appropriate encryption.
• The transmission of a message with someone else's name as author without the author's permission.
• The transmission of unacceptable content, which includes, but is not limited to, material that is pornographic, racist, sexist, or contains inappropriate language for an office environment.
• Any use that impairs or damages any system operation or that impairs or damages the use of the system by another account holder.
• The transmission of computer viruses through any form of electronic media. Employees are not to open any file(s) or e-mail(s) that they receive electronically if they do not recognize the source. All viruses are to be reported to the IT Department.
Computer users are required to report inappropriate use of email. Appropriate email etiquette is essential to maintaining a productive and professional work environment. Users should use the same standards of professionalism in drafting email that they would use for any other formal written communication on behalf of the Village.
A. Rules of Email
The same standards of decorum, respect, and professionalism that guide us in our face-to-face interactions and written communication on behalf of the village apply to the use of email. It is important to remember that an email recipient cannot hear tone or see body language. As a result, you should never give bad news by email or use it to criticize someone. If there is any possibility that the recipient will misinterpret your e-mail, use another means to communicate.
B. Forwarding Information
If you receive an email (particularly an email with an attachment) and intend to forward it to others, consider the following:
• Is any of the information unnecessary or inappropriate for any individual?
• Would the author take exception to your forwarding the information? (A good rule of thumb is to copy the author.)
• Is the receiver likely to forward the information to individuals that should not have, or do not need, the information?
• Do the attachments have viruses?
Forwarding Village email to a personal or private account is prohibited without the consent of your department director and only for business purposes.
C. Spam
Sending unsolicited messages or files to individuals, groups, or organizations that you do not have a prior relationship with is prohibited without authorization from your supervisor. Sending messages or files with the intent to cause harm or damage to the intended receiver is a violation of Village policy and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
D. Global Messages
Email messages sent to all employees on the Village email system should only be used for work related subjects and must have the approval of the appropriate department director before being sent. Content in a message sent to all employees should be limited to text if possible, and attachments should never be included. If you have an attachment that must be included, it should be posted on the intranet with a link to the attachment provided in the email.
(Ord. 23-1853, passed 5-3-23)