E-Mail Privacy in the Workplace: A Boundary Regulation Perspective
Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 47(3), p. 266-294, 2010
Posted: 13 Feb 2018
Date Written: 2010
Abstract
This study applied communication boundary management theory to examine employee responses to workplace e-mail monitoring. Specifically, a measure of perceived workplace e-mail privacy (PEP) was developed and fit to a model of antecedents and consequences. To accomplish this, the study used an online survey methodology to gather employee perceptions related to workplace e-mail monitoring. Results indicated that PEP is a two-dimensional construct capturing one’s proficiency at maintaining privacy and concerns about the organization’s ability to infringe on e-mail privacy. In support of the boundary management perspective, the data revealed that perceptions of workplace e-mail monitoring and PEP were related to the perceived quality of one’s workplace relationships, especially with top management.
Keywords: electronic mail, privacy, monitoring, surveillance, boundary management, workplace relationships
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