Post being opened at work, is it illegal?

[NotActuallyAMum]

Our post at work, regardless of who it's addressed to, is opened centrally by one person (not me). We've had a few new people recently and one of them has questioned it. I've never really thought about it before but I think he could have a point

It doesn't affect me personally because I don't get any LOL but I'm nosy interested to hear your thoughts if you know about these things

It happens where i work, local authority, unless the letter has private and confidential written on it.

I doubt there is any cause for complaint from the p.o.v. of the employee's privacy etc (it's a work address after all) but there might be an issue from a client confidentiality p.o.v. I suppose. Not that I actually know, but that would be my gut feeling.

As far as I recall, unless it's marked 'personal' or 'private & confidential' it can be opened. It's assumed that the person is writing to the company as an 'entity' and the named person on it is the 'for the attention of'. Mostly, companies do it to make sure that, even if the person the letter is addressed to is off, it will be seen and (hopefully) actioned.
I'm not sure they could argue client confidentiality either, for that reason.

Where do you work?

I am a solcitor, and at my firm things marked private and confidential aren't opened, though Lord knows why, as EVERYTHING in here is P&C.

Anything marked personal sts isn't opened, but again people wrongly label letters as such - might be personal to them but not to the recipient.

I think the law is that they can open anything. that's what your home address is for after all. But that's just my guess.

iklboo yeah I agree, I think marking it "private and conf" would get over the kind of issue I was thinking of, e.g. chinese wall scenario within the workplace, that would make it necessary for a particular person or team to see something but another particular person or team not to.

Thanks for your replies

iklboo that's exactly why it's done - the vast majority of the post is invoices which, if they went to the addressee, would never get processed!

The new person has said it "could be personal" in which case he shouldn't be having it sent to work in the first place surely??

Don't think he'll last long here...

Crossed posts with a couple

Collaborate it's a one-off engineering Company, you won't have heard of it

He definitely shouldn't be having personal mail sent to work. Odd question, but how old is he? BIL (24) had a similar rant till we pointed out the universe doesn't begin & end wherever he happens to be and his boss doesn't answer to him

In every place i've ever worked (and there have been a few!) , if it's addressed to the department, anyone can open it, but if it's addressed to a person, then it is given to that person.
Even if it just turns out to be a standard form.

at my company every letter is openend except for private/confidential marked ones.
letters often are adressed to the wrong person/wrong department and the mailroom sorts that one out centrally. bills for example go directly to accounting no matter who is the adressee.

LOL iklboo, strangley enough I'd say he's about the same age!

Sounds like it's fairly standard practice doesn't it? I don't think we've got anything to worry about