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eDisaster Story of the Week
January 12, 2001
Bad eMail Is Bad for Business
In litigation over diet pills manufactured by American Home Products Corp., some of the most embarrassing evidence came from internal eMail exchanges among employees. In one particularly insensitive message, a company employee expressed her dismay at the thought of spending the balance of her career paying off "fat people who are a little afraid of some silly lung problem."
The employee's insensitive comment was an apparent reference to a rare but often fatal condition some diet-pill users developed. Inappropriate eMail like this no doubt contributed to American Home Products' decision to settle the case in a deal valued at up to $3.75 billion, the largest settlement ever involving a drug company.
Employers eager to avoid this type of eDisaster must give employees eRules to work by. Establish and enforce written ePolicies governing employees' electronic writing. Settle for nothing less than good, clean, professional commentary running through employee eMail.
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