Can my employer open mail addressed to me that is sent to my place of employment?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can my employer open mail addressed to me that is sent to my place of employment?
Is this legal during an internal audit?
Asked on October 6, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, North Carolina
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Yes this is legal. The fact is that as a general rule an employee has no expectation of privacy in the workplace. And in fact postal regulations say that mail delivered to a business, even if addressed to a specific person, is delivered to the business itself, and therefore it can decide how to distribute it from there. Accordingly, it would behoove an employee to keep their personal mail out of their place of work. Otherwise, they risk a package, letter, etc. being opened by co-workers.
Note: An employer has the same right to monitor your email on a company email system/server, or your website viewing over company internet.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.