September 2002

E-Communications Policies

By Bruce H. Nearon

Does your firm or clients have formal or informal electronic communications policies? How do employees know what is expected of them when sending and receiving e-mail with other employees or customers?

Lack of a formal policy may mean even the best intentions of employees lead to unexpected adverse results that could have been avoided if only employees knew what and what not to do. Improper use of e-mail, voice mail, pagers and other forms of e-communications can result in misunderstanding, lost time and, in the worst case, lost customers or lawsuits.

When communicating electronically, do employees know what types of information require greater care because of confidentiality issues? Do employees know what types of e-mail communications may be considered sexual harassment, or could be potentially embarrassing for the firm or company? Do employees know how to make e-communications effective so that they get the intended results?

Learn how to get the most out of e-communications and avoid embarrassing situations or, worse, liability to your firm and clients through attending the Oct. 8 morning continuing professional education (CPE) presentation organized by the New York State Society of CPAs Emerging Technologies (ET) Committee.

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.: registration, networking, free continental breakfast
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: CPE session
Presenter: Irwin Winsten, CPA
Location: NYSSCPA headquarters, 530 Fifth Avenue (between 44th and 45th streets), fifth floor, New York City

About the Presenter

Irwin Winsten is president of The Software Consultants in Scarsdale, N.Y. He received a bachelor’s in science degree from Yale University and a master’s in science degree from Columbia University. In addition to writing magazine articles and speaking to professional organizations, he is the author of Accounting Software and the Microcomputer, published by John Wiley & Sons, and Computerized Bookkeeping.

Mr. Winsten has served on committees of the NYSSCPA and the American Institute of CPAs, and is on the faculty of Lehman College. He also has been active in the community, serving as an officer for a number of nonprofit organizations and providing pro bono services for others. Mr. Winsten can be reached at ecru@prodigy.net.

Additional Information

This NYSSCPA/Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE) morning CPE presentation is free to NYSSCPA members and $15 for nonmembers to qualify for one hour of CPE credit. At the session you will get the chance to network with the profession’s and the industry’s IT leaders.

Advance registration is recommended because seating is limited.

For additional information, contact Gary Carpenter at (315) 487-4567 or gcarpenter-cit@worldnet.att.net or Bruce H. Nearon at (973) 403-6955 or bnearon@jhcohn.com.

To register: contact FAE at (212) 719-8383 or (800) 537-3635 or visit the Society’s website at www.nysscpa.org. Select the Find Committees link at the left of the screen, scroll down to the Emerging Technologies Committee, select it, and then select “10/8/02 – Electronic Communications Policies” located under the FREE IT CPE banner.

Acknowledgments

J.H. Cohn LLP and Carpenter Information Technologies helped provide the funding and resources for the continental breakfast, marketing and publicity, and administration of this event.