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Original poster

Boss reading my emails and big mates with colleague..am I being paranoid?

17 replies

originalsincity · 14/03/2017 16:54

Been in job over 2 years, thought I had a good relationship with my boss. Discovered yesterday that she has been reading my sent emails - checking up on me?? For no good reason that I know of. She let something slip that I'd said, innocent in itself, but she could only have known by reading a fairly long email about a very ordinary everyday matter. I was taken aback and didn't say anything, wanted to check I was right rather than react . now im thinking should i challenge her and ask why she feels the need to read my emails (and has she nothing better to do?).
It's made me a bit paranoid. Also we are a team of 3. Boss and no. 2 are friends (have coffee together on nonwork days). No.2 has recently returned after long term sick leave, Boss very happy she's back .....Am I being pushed out?

OP posts:

unfortunateevents · 14/03/2017 17:07

wanted to check I was right rather than react - so how have you checked because you haven't mentioned it in your post? I don't think you can accuse her of reading your emails on the basis of one comment she made. Is it possible that the person to whom you sent the email showed it to her?

No idea why you would feel you are being pushed out on the basis of your post. If you are a team of three, presumably there is work for three, and the return of colleague number 3 can only be a good thing? Why would the fact that your boss is friendly with her mean she is trying to get rid of you? You sound a bit paranoid, unless there are lots of other things going on.

Astro55 · 14/03/2017 17:11

Recently left a job like this for the same reason

Boss and one member of the team would obviously gossip about the others (six) and their snidey comments were definatley aimed at different people - to the extent that private issues were discussed!!!

It's horrible and unprofessional!

I'm sure reading your emails is partnof her job - I was careful to delete mine -

Are there other issues?

Original poster

originalsincity · 14/03/2017 17:13

Hi unfortunate, I didn't want to make my post too long - I mean that there was a detail I had to check before I could be sure that she hadn't seen this particular thing elsewhere, i.e. to confirm that the only way she could have known about it was to have read through my sent email.
Thanks for your comment, a different view is what I need!

OP posts:

ImperialBlether · 14/03/2017 17:16

I don't think she has the right to read your emails, does she? Who's in charge of your I.T. system? Did you have to sign something?

ImperialBlether · 14/03/2017 17:16

I wouldn't use work emails for anything private from now on if you think she's reading them.

Original poster

originalsincity · 14/03/2017 17:18

Well now you ask about other issues ..! This is what I'm beginning to ask myself. No.2 often comes in on my nonwork days to see Boss, and vice versa, they have a coffee and a chat. I've noticed things that they've discussed that I haven't been part of - not vital things that I need to know, but still...it's making me wonder if I've been a bit naive.
If I did leave, no. 2 would be in my seat like a shot. Then they'd have to get another no.3, though , and that would be a hassle/expense (it's a very small not for profit business)

OP posts:

Original poster

originalsincity · 14/03/2017 17:21

Imperial , it wasn't anything private, I don't do private emails at work at all! It was just a work related detail (not interesting in itself and too long to explain!) It was a work email in a shared email system. So IT privacy isn't really the issue, it's more that I can't understand why she would feel the need to read my (very dull work related) emails!

OP posts:

BarchesterFlowers · 14/03/2017 17:25

I manage a small team and have access to all emails, both received and sent, in each inbox.

I sometimes check what has been sent (not everyone works full time) without any sort of hidden agenda, just to see what has been actioned, or more correctly, what hasn't.

Original poster

originalsincity · 14/03/2017 17:29

Barchester, yes I do the same. Perhaps that was how it was on this occasion. But it feels different somehow
I might be feeling paranoid unnecessarily. i hope so. Just not sure it feels like it.

OP posts:

foreverlost · 14/03/2017 17:38

Who did you email? How do you know they didn't discuss the detail with your boss and that's how she knows?

I presume my boss could read my sent emails at any times if he wanted to. Therefore I email with that in mind.

unfortunateevents · 14/03/2017 17:42

OP, are you saying that you are actually aware that she can read your emails and, as per your response to Barchester, that you actually do the same thing yourself? It's work emails, if she has access then she can read the emails. I'm still struggling to see the issue here. Who knows why she read it, maybe she was bored?

SuperFlyHigh · 14/03/2017 18:24

To be quite honest if it's work related and you have nothing to hide I'd let her read your emails if that's what she does, as she'll do it anyway it seems even if you say not to.

The good thing is that having been there over 2 years you have some protection but they could still make you redundant.

It depends that with the other colleague back off sick leave are you happy to stay if they have a relationship which could (and probably does involve) gossiping about you? I've had this before, not nice but hey if my life is so much more interesting that theirs...

pluck · 16/03/2017 17:48

What does your company's IT policy say?

In your shoes, I'd actually start using email more, so you have a paper trail of what you do. If it's a small business with no dedicated IT (who would be capable of retrieving deleted emails in cases of dispute), I'd also change my settings to bcc all emsils to an account they couldn't access (unless that's against IT policy - again, read it first and read it carefully).

ChicRock · 16/03/2017 17:52

Yes you are being paranoid.

Flutterby11 · 19/03/2017 17:41

Sorry if this sounds obvious but is it possible that there was a further trail to your original email? That is, perhaps the person you originally emailed forwarded it on to a different group of people including your boss but excluding you in order to action further. Your boss would naturally have read the full thread. I receive emails all the time where I need to read through the full thing and where there maybe multiple senders along the way and where, for legitimate reasons the audience has changed. The original sender or even the 5th or 10th person to reply may not be copied in when I receive it but I would be able to see what they wrote.

whirlygirly · 19/03/2017 20:59

In my workplace, my former manager used to access all of our mails and told us as she loved the control it gave her. I never ever wrote anything I would have been worried for her to see, or that would give her any private info on me.

I still don't send anything remotely personal from my work account even though (thank god) I don't report to her anymore.

It's unpleasant but I bet it happens more than we realise.

daisychain01 · 20/03/2017 10:40

Never advisable to bcc company emails to an external email address - IT Policy or no! Pkease dont expose yourseld to risk.

The prevalence of hacking is so great it creates significant risk of personal identifiable information and company sensitive insights going outside the company - the person is personally accountable for damage done.

If i were you OP I would clarify informally with your manager if they have access to your email account "just so you are aware." I dont think it is necessarily something to take issue with as it could be legitimate however in my company the normal approach (to maintain good trusting manager/employee relations) would be for the manager to request the employee to grant them read-only access. Being upfront rather than covert stops any resentment and bad feeling.

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