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Kicked off company email address because manager of the same name has joined the comp

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    #32
    Strumms
    Registered Users Posts: 24,824 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    It’s a ****ty dumb move either way, the person who was using the email should have been left with it. Or theirs amended to include their middle initial as above...


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    #33
    whomitconcerns
    Registered Users Posts: 4,311 ✭✭✭whomitconcerns


    Well I've worked for the biggest corporate in the world and first person gets the first.last designation next person gets the initial added or whatever. Literally wouldn't make sense to retroactively reassign/change an employee's email address for millions of business reasons, ignoring all the practical ones even...

    Talk to IT, it must be a mistake surely


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    #34
    Strumms
    Registered Users Posts: 24,824 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    Crowd I was with was a large multinational...so throughout the world there was probably 20 David Kelly’s... emails such as...

    [snip - no email addresses please. Real or not.]


    Literally scores of various variations without nicking someone’s email that’s ridiculous....


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    #35
    daheff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,835 ✭✭✭daheff


    ill bet it was a junior IT person asked to set up a new email address. didnt properly look at the system... got distracted came back saw the email address and thought they set it up.


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    #36
    whomitconcerns
    Registered Users Posts: 4,311 ✭✭✭whomitconcerns


    daheff wrote: »
    ill bet it was a junior IT person asked to set up a new email address. didnt properly look at the system... got distracted came back saw the email address and thought they set it up.

    This. Seniority of role wouldn't come into it. Has to be a mistake.


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    #37
    Asitis2019
    Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭Asitis2019


    10000maniacs wrote: »
    A collegue of mine in an American multinational company has been kicked off his email address he has used for years because a new senior manager has joined the company with the same name. My collegue has been working there for over 10 years and has numerous accounts associated with the email address. Any legal suggestions with this case?

    Why is this a legal issue?

    Why doesn't the It department simply add a 1 to the new email address, or use a middle name or an initial?

    This is not difficult. It is simple. It is not a legal issue.


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    #38
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,420 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    daheff wrote: »
    ill bet it was a junior IT person asked to set up a new email address. didnt properly look at the system... got distracted came back saw the email address and thought they set it up.
    What do you mean? The system wouldn't let you set up a second account with the same email address as an existing user.


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    #39
    ianobrien
    Registered Users Posts: 2,756 ✭✭✭ianobrien


    So, what about the other work systems that are tied to the email address? I imagine it's like other American Multinationals where I've worked where there were various work systems tied to the email, for example annual leave, clock in, HR & performance systems, security / site access systems, etc.

    I imagine it's more of a HR problem to ensure that personal data associated with the email address on the various systems are not carried over to the new start. I imagine that it's only right and proper to ask


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    #40
    Franz Von Peppercorn II
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn II


    Asitis2019 wrote: »
    Why is this a legal issue?

    Why doesn't the It department simply add a 1 to the new email address, or use a middle name or an initial?

    This is not difficult. It is simple. It is not a legal issue.

    Because the new executive wants his name without any additions.


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    #41
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    I think you'd have a to write an official letter to HR and the companies data protection officer of the data risk associated with this, not to mention difficulties with software licencees, accounts etc.

    So that you wash your hands of it all and cover your ass.


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    #42
    jhegarty
    Registered Users Posts: 6,436 ✭✭✭jhegarty


    New emails can be generated by people who don't know about the change.

    As an example , let's say OP sent an email to the company doctor last week , response goes back to Global Vice Chimp and we have a GDPR violation.


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    #43
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Asitis2019 wrote: »
    Why is this a legal issue?

    Why doesn't the It department simply add a 1 to the new email address, or use a middle name or an initial?

    This is not difficult. It is simple. It is not a legal issue.

    Because they hired someone stupid into a senior position and now they get to make loads of stupid decisions. I mean if this was his first move, its only going to get more insane from here on.


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    #44
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,695 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    This was either a mistake by a poorly supervised junior IT person, or the company now has a senior manager whose ginormous ego is going to lead to a whole raft of poor decisions.

    See someone in HR. Quietly explain the risks. Don't mention GDPR explicitly - but they will figure it out themselves.

    Either the decision will get changed. Or your friend needs to focus on job hunting, because the company is likely to do lots of dumb things.


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    #45
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 17,381 ✭ [Deleted User]


    That's really dumb, especially as a developer. There are countless services and APIs etc. he could have signed up for over the years with that email.


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    #46
    joeguevara
    Registered Users Posts: 8,018 ✭✭✭joeguevara


    This is all about context. If for example your friend requires their email to be contacted by clients and may affect things like commission if it's changed then there is an issue. If it has no impact then it is a non issue.

    Care should be taken on how it's approached. Perhaps it could be agreed to have a transition period to ensure that everyone knows of change.

    It does appear to be bat handled. It could have been resolved by shortening the new person's name or using a hyphen. I have never come across this issue before but presume it must be common.

    I don't think it's a data protection issue as the emails while personal information, are not the focus of the issue. The person's name in email address is also personal information but the domain is the property of the company. They are not disclosing personal information to new person but simply taking the name which is also the new person's name. It wouldn't be a data protection offense. It could be a trademark offense if the email address is so unique that taking it could have a dramatic impact on the person's livelihood.
    N


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    #47
    joeguevara
    Registered Users Posts: 8,018 ✭✭✭joeguevara


    Deleted User wrote: »
    That's really dumb, especially as a developer. There are countless services and APIs etc. he could have signed up for over the years with that email.

    If it was personal services that were signed up for using a work address then it's irrelevant as work email should only be used for work purposes. If it is work services then as I posted a transitional period should be given to change address.


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    #48
    tdf7187
    Registered Users Posts: 1,597 ✭✭✭tdf7187


    10000maniacs wrote: »
    Any legal suggestions with this case?

    No.


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    #49
    whomitconcerns
    Registered Users Posts: 4,311 ✭✭✭whomitconcerns


    joeguevara wrote: »
    This is all about context. If for example your friend requires their email to be contacted by clients and may affect things like commission if it's changed then there is an issue. If it has no impact then it is a non issue.

    Care should be taken on how it's approached. Perhaps it could be agreed to have a transition period to ensure that everyone knows of change.

    It does appear to be bat handled. It could have been resolved by shortening the new person's name or using a hyphen. I have never come across this issue before but presume it must be common.

    I don't think it's a data protection issue as the emails while personal information, are not the focus of the issue. The person's name in email address is also personal information but the domain is the property of the company. They are not disclosing personal information to new person but simply taking the name which is also the new person's name. It wouldn't be a data protection offense. It could be a trademark offense if the email address is so unique that taking it could have a dramatic impact on the person's livelihood.
    N

    It's not common for a company to swap an email address internally after 10 years on the whim of a new hire, regardless of seniority.

    Someone f##ked up here.


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    #50
    daheff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,835 ✭✭✭daheff


    AndrewJRenko wrote: »
    What do you mean? The system wouldn't let you set up a second account with the same email address as an existing user.

    I mean the person doing the set up got interrupted midway through and when they came back checked was there an email account there (or tried and was told of the duplicate) so assumed they set up the account and associated it with the new user profile.


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    #51
    Samuel T. Cogley
    Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    Business accounts like those with Microsoft I can sort of understand but are we talking personal external account also? Who does that?


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    #52
    DaraDali
    Registered Users Posts: 410 ✭✭DaraDali


    I think I am the only one here not horrified by this, in my experience software dev's really wouldnt even get that many emails.

    Senior heads in the company can get close to 100emails a day I can understand them wanted a perfect email address for the new member and changing out the other guys.

    One person earlier asked "who does this?" Usually the company's CEO would email IT support for a request like this, and you are going to do it.


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    #53
    seagull
    Registered Users Posts: 2,340 ✭✭✭seagull


    DaraDali wrote: »
    I think I am the only one here not horrified by this, in my experience software dev's really wouldnt even get that many emails.

    Senior heads in the company can get close to 100emails a day I can understand them wanted a perfect email address for the new member and changing out the other guys.

    One person earlier asked "who does this?" Usually the company's CEO would email IT support for a request like this, and you are going to do it.

    Except the new manager isn't getting a perfect email address. He's getting an email address previously associated with someone, and for at least several weeks will be getting all the mails the existing associate would get. You have however many mail groups that have that email on, and it will take a while before they all get updated.

    I would guess the average system dev here gets a good few system generated mails through the day. It's a rare day that there wouldn't be 100 mails between deployments, test bugs and project mails. That's 100 mails that the new exec will be getting that he really doesn't want.

    Your answer is wrong. It's not the CEO who does something like this. It's an idiot. It creates a lot of unnecessary hassle for both the old and new owners of that email address, and also for the admin managing the email accounts, and anything else that hangs off the email address.


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    #54
    marieholmfan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,744 ✭✭✭marieholmfan


    seagull wrote: »

    It's not the CEO who does something like this. It's an idiot.
    Are those not the same thing?


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    #55
    Samuel T. Cogley
    Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    DaraDali wrote: »
    I think I am the only one here not horrified by this, in my experience software dev's really wouldnt even get that many emails.

    Senior heads in the company can get close to 100emails a day I can understand them wanted a perfect email address for the new member and changing out the other guys.

    One person earlier asked "who does this?" Usually the company's CEO would email IT support for a request like this, and you are going to do it.

    I was asking who does this in relation to setting up personal stuff on a work email. I personally wouldn't.


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    #56
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,343 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    How has this thread made it to 4 pages? OP's friend has no property (real or intellectual) rights to a company e-mail address. End of story.

    He would have the same problem if he moved jobs, the only difference here is that he can blame the employer. But there is no right to assert.


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    #57
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    The issue is not the email address itself. Its the data that might come through it, or what could be accesses though it, either by accident or other means.
    It doesn't have to be personal information. There might be business sensitive information, or customer personal information that could be sent to the wrong person as a result.
    I wonder how this work if was associated with a cloud account Office 365 or similar.


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    #58
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,343 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    beauf wrote: »
    It doesn't have to be personal information. There might be business sensitive information, or customer personal information that could be sent to the wrong person as a result.

    The company has clearly decided to take those risks. The OP's friend will have to lump it.

    OP asked: 'any legal suggestions with this case?' I haven't seen any legal suggestions yet.


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    #59
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    A few myself included suggest writing a formal letter or email if you can keep a copy, to the data officer and perhaps HR that you can't be responsible for any risks of data disclosure as a result of this action.

    People especially senior people are prone to be forgetful when their stupidity causes problems down the line. It's always useful to some form of written communication to remind them of who said what and when.


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    #60
    Eire Go Brach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Eire Go Brach


    10000maniacs wrote: »
    Two US companies merged recently (banking) and this is one of the fallouts.

    In all fairness. If it’s a merger the senior person should get the email. Lots of people talking GDPR. Having a work email. It’s not exactly personal data.

    Senior emails are far more important. It’s quite simple.


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    #61
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Just because you work in the same company doesn't mean you can have access to anything.

    Should a security Guard have access to someones HR information for example, if they got their emails by mistake.

    Should that company gossip know what everyone is paid?

    Should the developer be able to see the CEO email.


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