If your employer is monitoring your outgoing e-mails, there are a few steps to take in order to remain productive. Don't panic, but definitely watch out. Mary Crane, president of MC & Associates, a training and consulting firm in Denver, said that if employers actively monitor outgoing e-mail traffic, messages about anything other than work may attract unwanted attention. Employers in the private sector also have complete authority to scrutinize every word of an e-mail, provided that they have established a policy and put it into writing. So, if you find your e-mails being monitored, definitely ignore what appears to be a blatant attack on your privacy, and instead try some self-censorship.
See "The Workplace: Your company monitors your personal e-mail", Matt Villano, International Herald Tribune, March 4, 2007