I received the following e-mail from a reader through the Comment Submission via Bio Page on September 12 concerning one of my On The Job articles "Move Up From Administrative Entry Level" and the issue of opening office mail. You can find the article
here I just wanted to note that your comment in the article "On The Job - Move Up From Administrative Entry Level" the suggestion to "read all the mail you open" is not only ethically questionable, it is as far as I know against the law. Anyhow, seems like its a great way to get fired rather than move up. *** USER CHOSE NOT TO PROVIDE EMAIL ADDRESS ***
I did respond by reply but apparently it was lost somewhere in cyberspace. Since I was unable to respond directly, I am posting it in the forum.
Hi,
Opening and reading your bosses mail is usually expected as her assistant and right-hand person. It is a part of an admin's job, unless she had been directed not to open the mail, then she does not do it. People are seldom fired for doing their job well. They are most often fired for not being thorough or not paying attention to details. If a boss calls on the telephone and asks what kind of mail she has received, the next question will probably be what did this or that person want--you cannot tell her if you have not read the letter; she may not have time to wait while you run to her office to pull the info and read the letter to her.
Also, a good admin knows not to open mail that has 'personal' written across it.
This is not illegal and not a matter of ethics. It is simply being a top-notch administrative assistant. When I worked my manager expected me to not only read his mail but respond to parties and keep mail that I could handle myself. Some bosses may say. "give me my mail", or "just slit the envelope", then that of course is what the admin does.
This may be a good forum subject.
Thanks,I think, generally once you reach administrative secretary level, opening the mail means to actually open the mail, not slit the envelope and pass it on. It means that someone higher up trusts you and believes that you are skilled enough to handle the chore of looking at the mail and knowing what's should be delivered ASAP or can wait to be delivered according to your routine. I would love to hear what reader admin's do with their bosses mail.