In any business or club it can be a hassle when one person is tasked with opening the mail – and occasionally they open something that they shouldn’t have…
People can get quite hot about having their mail opened when they feel it shouldn’t be. 
The trick is to make it clear. Here’s a simple policy that can be implemented that does that. (Which is not to say it carries legal weight – just that works, is fair, and is clear for both the staff and the person opening the mail.)
- If a letter is addressed to the business – ABC Limited, P.O. Box 111, Somewhere – open it and distribute.
- If a letter is addressed to a person (but still has the business name on it) - John Smith, ABC Limited, P.O. Box 111, Somewhere - open and distribute. It is, after all, still addressed to the organisation.
- If it is addressed to a person, without the organisation name – John Smith, P.O. Box 111, Somewhere – pass on unopened.
- If an item is marked ‘Private & Confidential’ – distribute unopened.
Generally this is a policy that is easy to explain to staff and is fairly logical.
And if there are still arguments, remind staff that the address does belong to the organisation and their private mail should go to their home address. 
Filed under: Administration
