Connected Workers Worry About Corporate Snoops

E-mail has become such a common form of business communication that it is affecting use of the Postal Service, fax machines and even telephones, a new survey shows.

The study by Vault.com, a Web site for career and human resources information, found that electronic mail is transforming the workplace in several important ways.

Among the more than 1,000 employees polled in May, 80 percent said e-mail has replaced “snail mail” for the majority of their business correspondence, 72.5 percent said it has replaced faxing and 45 percent said it has replaced phone calls.

Here are other findings from the survey, called “E-mail Behavior in the Workplace”:

* Forty-two percent said they worried about employers monitoring their e-mail and 79 percent said they used a separate account such as Hotmail or Yahoo for personal correspondence.

* While 70 percent said e-mail improved communication with their employers, the vast majority said they would ask for a raise, submit a resignation or report wrongdoing in person, rather than by e-mail or phone.

* If they received a sexually explicit or otherwise improper e-mail, 77.5 percent said they would delete it immediately, 8.6 percent would close it and leave it alone and 13.9 percent would forward it to friends or co-workers.

Leaving doesn’t prevent happy returns

Workers who leave one job for another, then come to lament their decision, may be in a good position to reclaim their old job.

Nine of 10 executives polled by Robert Half International Inc., a staffing service, said they would gladly welcome back a valued former employee who left in good standing.

Among those surveyed, 56 percent said they were very likely to consider rehiring a former employee, while 34 percent said they were somewhat likely to do so. Seven percent were somewhat unlikely to rehire ex-employees, and only 3 percent were very unlikely to consider putting former workers back on staff.

The message for workers: Burning bridges with past employers isn’t a smart move.

“Creating a positive last impression leaves the door open to return if the new opportunity doesn’t work out,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International.

Lookin’ good

Employer Web sites play a key role in recruiting new workers, according to a survey by Jobtrak.com, an online job listing service for students and alumni.

Based on responses from more than 1,000 college students and recent grads, 44 percent rated the quality of an employer’s Web site as very important in their decision whether or not to apply for a job there. Thirty-five said it was somewhat important, while 21 percent called it not important.

“Employers should take their Web site design very seriously … since first impressions are very important in attracting qualified candidates,” said Jobtrak.com co-founder Ken Ramberg.