In today's increasingly wired workplace, businesses have taken the lead in establishing guidelines for employee e-mail and Internet use. In a recent survey, 65 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) polled said their companies have formal procedures regulating electronic communication.

The survey was developed by RHI Consulting, a leading specialized consulting firm that provides information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with more than 100 employees.

CIOs were asked, "Does your company provide formal guidelines to its employees about Internet and e-mail use?" Sixty-five percent responded yes. Thirty-five percent responded no.

"Clearly defining e-mail and Internet policies guards against potential problems later on, such as productivity losses caused by excessive personal use of the web at work or downtime caused by computer viruses inadvertently transmitted online," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of RHI Consulting. "In addition, establishing ground rules prevents employees from feeling they're being monitored arbitrarily."

Spencer Lee points out that with recruitment and retention being key issues today, employers must strike a balance between protecting business interests and maintaining an atmosphere of employee trust. "While well-crafted and clearly communicated e-policies are a prudent safeguard, they should be flexible, reflect your firm's culture and not make workers feel as if they're cut off from the outside world."

Survey results showed that CIOs at large companies are most likely to establish formal guidelines governing e-mail and Internet use. Eighty percent of technology executives at firms with 1,000 or more employees said they have official policies regulating electronic communication.

-- Article courtesy of RHI Consulting, which is a leading provider of technology professionals for the Internet economy. With over 100 locations in North America, Europe and Australia, the company offers specialized consulting services, on a project or full-time basis, for IT initiatives ranging from e-business development and multiplatform systems integration to network engineering and technical support. For more information about RHI Consulting or to learn about online job search opportunities, please visit http://www.rhic.com.