Importance of email retention policy should not be underestimated

FOR many workers, deleting emails and cleaning out mailboxes can be thought of as a mindless task which they needn't worry about.

However, archiving emails and the retention of documents is vital to all businesses and organisations using electronic communications today.

An email retention policy will differ from business to business, but many refer to the idea of archiving original documents that may regard personnel, contracts, premises, and fiscal information.

As emails now act as proof or evidence, without having this proper backup at hand, companies could become exposed to court cases, which could threaten the wellbeing of their business.

It simply cannot be stressed just how important it is for employees to be made aware of protocol and to know just how to back up their mails properly to ensure that everything is in its right place should it need to be referred to. This may involve categorising where emails should be held, and for how long it is necessary that they are retained in line with appropriate data protection laws.

Of course, there are some emails that are more important than others and those that are relied heavily upon often include anything with evidential content in current or future legal proceedings (in accordance with Data Protection Laws).

Perhaps one of the most important things that a business owner or director can do to help ensure that emails are being properly retained for the period of time deemed relevant is to ensure that each and every employee is made aware of not only how to maintain and store particular electronic documents, but also that they understand the importance of doing so.

It is important to stress the fact that email retention policies are not generally the same for everyone different organisations may require different archival behaviours. It is also essential not to interfere with data protection laws or violate personal, privileged and private rights set between sender and receiver by way of disclaimer.

It should also be noted that, if you are sending an email, do be wary of the fact that what you say may be used against you just as you could use what someone else had said in email to you as circumstantial evidence. All in all, it is incredibly important to remember that an email can truly be a permanent fixture. It is best not to send or say anything you'd feel uncomfortable with someone else seeing.

Whether you are an assistant, executive or CEO of a business, keep this in mind the next time you plan to clear out your inbox and be sure to be responsible about the content you write and receive. Above all, ensure that you manage to keep records of all your electronic mail by archiving it.