4123 Employee Email Communications Procedure

Policy Details: 

Policy Name: Employee Email Communications 

Policy Number: 4123

Applicable Code/Law:  RCW 43.105.450, RCW 42.56, RCW 40.14, WaTech SEC-08-01-S

Procedural Guidelines 

1 Purpose
This procedure establishes operational requirements for the management and use of Shoreline College email accounts and authorized electronic communication platforms. It provides guidance regarding employee responsibilities, communication expectations, security requirements, records management, and the use of emerging technologies in support of Policy 4123. 

2 Scope
This procedure applies to all Shoreline College employees, including faculty, staff, POI contractors, temporary employees, and student employees who are assigned College email accounts or authorized access to College communication systems. 

3 Responsibilities

3.1 Employees
Employees are responsible for:

  • Activating and maintaining their assigned Shoreline College email account. 
  • Monitoring their college email account regularly and in accordance with the requirements of their position. 
  • Reviewing and responding to communications related to official College business in a timely manner. 
  • Using their Shoreline College email account or another College-provided communication platform when conducting official College business. 
  • Safeguarding sensitive and confidential information. 
  • Complying with all policies and procedures established at the College. 
  • Reporting suspected phishing attempts, compromised accounts, or other email security incidents to Technology Support Services (TSS). 

3.2 Supervisors 

Supervisors are responsible for: 

  • Communicating position-specific expectations regarding email responsiveness and monitoring. 
  • Ensuring employees understand and comply with this procedure. 
  • Coordinating with Human Resources and TSS when employees separate from employment or take extended leave. 

3.3 Technology Support Services (TSS) 

TSS is responsible for: 

  • Provisioning and maintaining employee email accounts. 
  • Implementing security controls and access management. 
  • Supporting email account recovery and access requests. 
  • Providing guidance regarding cybersecurity best practices. 
  • Supporting records preservation and legal hold requirements when necessary. 

4 Email Use Requirements

4.1 Official College Communications 

College email shall be the primary method for distributing and receiving official College communications, including: 

  • Administrative announcements. 
  • Emergency notifications. 
  • Policy and procedure updates. 
  • Business and operational correspondence. 
  • Communications with students, vendors, government agencies, and community partners. 

Employees shall use their Shoreline College email account when conducting official College business unless another College-provided communication platform has been approved for that purpose.  

4.2 Personal Email Accounts 

Employees shall not use personal email accounts to conduct official College business except during emergency situations in which College email systems are unavailable and the use of an alternative communication method has been authorized by the President, an Executive designee, or Technology Support Services (TSS). 

Any business-related communications created, transmitted, or received through a personal email account must be transferred to an approved College-managed system as soon as practicable and retained in accordance with applicable records retention requirements. 

Employees shall not configure College email accounts to automatically forward messages to a personal email account. Automatic forwarding to non-College email accounts is prohibited unless specifically approved by Technology Support Services for a documented business need. 

4.3 Email Storage and Preferred Email Address Information 

4.3.1 Appropriate Use of Email Storage 

While Email is securely backed up and retained for a certain period, it is intended to support communication and collaboration and should not be used as a primary document storage or records management system. 

Employees should: 

  • Store business documents, records, and other important files in College-approved storage and collaboration platforms, such as SharePoint or OneDrive. 
  • Retain official records in approved recordkeeping locations in accordance with applicable records retention requirements. 
  • Use email primarily for the exchange of information rather than long-term document retention. 
  • Periodically review and manage mailbox contents to support efficient system operation and information governance practices. 

Employees should not rely on a mailbox as the sole repository for important institutional records, business documents, or operational information when approved enterprise storage solutions are available, i.e. SharePoint or OneDrive. 

4.3.2 Preservation of Important Communications 

When email messages contain information necessary for ongoing business operations, records retention, compliance obligations, or institutional knowledge, employees should preserve that information in an approved College system of record or storage and collaboration platform rather than relying solely on an individual mailbox. 

Examples may include: 

  • Contracts and agreements. 
  • Project documentation. 
  • Official approvals and authorizations. 
  • Operational procedures. 
  • Records subject to retention requirements. 
  • Information needed for departmental continuity. 

4.3.3 Preferred Email Address Information 

Employees are responsible for maintaining accurate contact information, including their Preferred Email Address information within College administrative systems, when applicable. 

Employees should review and update their Preferred Email Address during: 

  • New employee onboarding (set to college provided email). 
  • Separation or offboarding activities (set to personal email). 
  • Any other circumstance where contact information changes. 

Maintaining accurate Preferred Email Address information helps: 

  • Ensure timely receipt of important employment-related communications. 
  • Reduce the risk of missed administrative notifications. 
  • Facilitate communication related to payroll, benefits, human resources, and other administrative functions. 

5 Monitoring and Response Expectations

Employees are expected to monitor email regularly during their assigned work schedules. 

Departments may establish additional expectations regarding: 

  • Email response times. 
  • Customer service standards. 
  • Shared mailbox management. 
  • Coverage during absences. 

Employees who will be unavailable for an extended period should activate an automatic out-of-office response and coordinate communication coverage with their supervisor. 

6 Security and Confidentiality

Employees shall: 

  • Protect account credentials and multifactor authentication methods. 
  • Verify recipient addresses before transmitting information. 
  • Use approved encryption or secure transmission methods when required. 
  • Exercise appropriate caution when opening links or attachments. 
  • Promptly report suspected cybersecurity incidents. 

Sensitive or confidential information must be managed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, contractual obligations, and College policies.  

7 Public Records and Email Retention

7.1 Employee Responsibilities 

Email communications related to College business constitute public records and are subject to records retention requirements. 

Employees shall: 

  • Cooperate with records requests, audits, investigations, and litigation holds. 
  • Preserve records that may be subject to disclosure requirements. 
  • Transfer business-related communications from personal accounts to College systems when necessary. 

7.2 Public Records Requests 

Upon notification of a Public Records Request, employees shall: 

  • Promptly respond to requests from the Public Records Officer or authorized designee. 
  • Preserve all potentially responsive records. 
  • Suspend deletion of records responsive to the request. 
  • Provide requested records within established timelines. 

Employees shall not destroy, alter, conceal, or delete records that may be relevant to a pending public records request, audit, investigation, or litigation matter. 

7.3 Litigation Holds 

When a litigation hold or records preservation notice is issued: 

  • Affected employees shall preserve all potentially relevant communications and records. 
  • Routine deletion practices must be suspended for affected information. 
  • Employees shall comply with preservation instructions until released from the litigation hold. 

8 Data Classification and Email Handling Requirements

Employees shall handle information according to the College's data classification standards. 

8.1 Public Information (Category 1) 

Public information is information approved for public disclosure. 

Examples include: 

  • Published catalogs. 
  • Public website content. 
  • Marketing materials. 
  • Public meeting notices. 

Requirements: 

  • May be transmitted via standard email. 
  • May be shared externally without additional protections. 

8.2 Sensitive Information (Category 2) 

Sensitive information is not specifically protected from disclosure by law but is for official use only. Sensitive information is generally not released to the public unless specifically requested. 

Examples include: 

  • Internal announcements. 
  • Routine departmental communications. 
  • Operational reports. 
  • Draft working documents. 

Requirements: 

  • Share only with individuals who have a legitimate business need. 
  • Verify group lists and recipients before sending. 

8.3 Confidential Information (Category 3) 

Confidential information is information that is specifically protected from either release or disclosure by law. 

Examples include: 

  • Student education records. 
  • Personnel records. 
  • Financial information. 
  • Contractually protected information. 

Requirements: 

  • Limit recipients to authorized individuals. 
  • Use approved encryption or secure-sharing solutions when transmitting. 
  • Confirm recipient identity before transmission. 
  • Avoid unnecessary forwarding. 

8.4 Restricted or Highly Confidential information (Category 4) 

Restricted information requires the highest level of protection. 

Examples include: 

  • Social Security numbers. 
  • Banking information. 
  • Tax information. 
  • Medical information. 
  • Passwords or authentication credentials. 
  • Security-sensitive information. 

Requirements: 

  • Shall not be transmitted through email unless specifically authorized and protected by approved security controls. 
  • Approved secure collaboration or file-sharing systems should be used whenever possible. 

8.5 Prohibited Activities 

Employees shall not: 

  • Send confidential information to personal email accounts. 
  • Share credentials or authentication information. 
  • Circumvent security controls. 
  • Access information without a legitimate business purpose. 
  • Forward confidential information to unauthorized recipients. 

9 Mass Email Communications

9.1 Audience Selection 

Authorized employees sending mass communications shall: 

  • Use the smallest audience necessary to achieve the communication objective. 
  • Target messages to appropriate departments, groups, or constituencies whenever practical. 
  • Avoid unnecessary use of campus-wide distribution lists. 

9.2 Approval Requirements 

Mass communications directed to all employees, all students, or other institution-wide audiences should be coordinated through the appropriate office, which may include(but not limited to): 

  • President's Office. 
  • Executive Leadership Team. 
  • Human Resources. 
  • Public Information Office. 
  • Communications and Marketing. 
  • Technology Support Services. 
  • Safety & Security. 

Departments may establish additional approval requirements. 

9.3 Content Standards 

Mass communications should: 

  • Have a clear business purpose. 
  • Use concise and professional language. 
  • Clearly identify the sending department. 
  • Include any necessary actions, deadlines, or contact information. 
  • Comply with accessibility and branding requirements. 

9.4 Emergency Communications 

Emergency communications and urgent operational notifications may be distributed through College-approved emergency notification systems, email, text messaging systems, or other authorized communication channels. These forms of communications should be sent by approved college personnel.  

9.5 Prohibited Uses 

Mass email shall not be used for: 

  • Personal business activities. 
  • Political campaign activities. 
  • Commercial advertising unrelated to College business. 
  • Communications that violate College policies concerning discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate conduct. 

10 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Email Communications

Shoreline College recognizes that approved AI tools may assist employees in drafting, editing, summarizing, and organizing email communications. Employees remain responsible for all content transmitted through College communication systems regardless of whether AI technologies were used in preparing the communication. 

10.1 Authorized Use 

Employees may use approved AI tools to: 

  • Draft email communications. 
  • Improve grammar and readability. 
  • Summarize notes and correspondence. 
  • Generate outlines, templates, and administrative content. 
  • Support routine business communications. 

Use of AI tools must comply with all applicable College policies and procedures. 

10.2 Employee Accountability 

Employees are responsible for: 

  • Reviewing all AI-generated content prior to distribution. 
  • Verifying accuracy and completeness. 
  • Ensuring communications are professional and appropriate. 
  • Correcting errors, omissions, or misleading information. 
  • Ensuring confidential or restricted information is not entered into unapproved AI systems. 
  • Using AI tools in a manner that does not violate any law or College policies.  

AI-generated content shall not be distributed without meaningful human review. 

10.3 Public Records and Records Retention 

AI-assisted communications that are used to conduct College business remain College records and are subject to: 

  • Public records disclosure requirements. 
  • Records retention requirements. 
  • Litigation holds. 
  • Audits and investigations. 

Principle of Human Responsibility 

Employees remain accountable for all decisions, actions, approvals, and communications made on behalf of Shoreline College, regardless of whether artificial intelligence tools were used to assist in producing the work product. 

11 Account Access and Monitoring

College email accounts are College resources and may be accessed, reviewed, monitored, or disclosed by authorized personnel for legitimate business, legal, public records, compliance, operational, or security purposes in accordance with applicable laws and College policies.  

Requests for access to another employee's email account shall be coordinated through TSS and approved through the Human Resources department. 

12 Employee Separation and Leave

Upon employee separation, transfer, or extended leave: 

  • Supervisors shall coordinate with TSS and Human Resources regarding account access and continuity of operations. 
  • TSS may disable, archive, delegate, or redirect email access as appropriate. 
  • Business-related email records shall be retained in accordance with applicable retention requirements. 

12 Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with this procedure may result in corrective or disciplinary action consistent with applicable collective bargaining agreements, employment policies, and College procedures.  

Adopted:  

Reviewed and Approved by Executive Team: 09-15-2026