Ministry of Justice Workers’ Online Comments Highlight Workplace Communication Risks

Ministry of Justice employees referred to a woman as a “bitch” in an online conversation, which she later received a copy of, serving as a reminder of the importance of careful workplace communication, says an employment lawyer. 

Academic and author Barbara Sumner, conducting PhD research on adoption systems, made several Official Information Act requests. In October last year, she requested all correspondence mentioning her name. Among the responses was a 2022 Teams conversation where employees complained about her requests and referred to her derogatorily.

This disclosure is a stark reminder to anyone venting via Teams or similar platforms to be cautious. Here’s what you need to know about accessing your workplace communications.

Alastair Espie, an employment law specialist and partner at Duncan Cotterill, explains that anything sent on a work device or communication tool, like email or internal messaging, is typically accessible by the employer. Employers generally have the right to view such communications unless they have explicitly stated they will treat them as private. However, this assurance is rare.

Espie notes that individuals can use the Privacy Act to request information an organization holds about them, potentially revealing messages intended to be private. This often occurs during employment processes like restructures or dis

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