After two weeks of vacation or illness, the e-mail inbox quickly overflows. Hundreds of unread messages await employees on their first day of work – some simply delete them unseen. But am I even allowed to do that?
It is one of the reasons why many employees dread returning to work after their vacation: sometimes there are hundreds or even thousands of unread e-mail messages in the mailbox that need to be processed. Are employees allowed to make life easy for themselves and delete parts of it unseen?
Nathalie Oberthür, a specialist lawyer for labor law in Cologne, has a clear answer: “E-mails are operational communication that must not simply be deleted.” Employees can therefore not avoid actually viewing the incoming messages.
After all, it can always be about orders or important customer information. Anyone who does not comply with the requirements violates contractual obligations and, according to Oberthür, must expect sanctions under labor law in the worst case, such as a warning or even dismissal.
And what happens when employees indicate in their absence notice that e-mails received during their absence will be deleted unseen when they return? Such an announcement to the recipient is possible, says Oberthür. “But only with the consent of the employer.” Otherwise, there is also a risk of trouble.
Basically, if you want to avoid an overflowing inbox, the easiest thing to do before going away for a longer period of time is to clarify who can process incoming e-mails during your vacation.
