Email & communication standards
Company email requirements
All employees must use authorized Good Shepherd email accounts for company business. Company accounts are monitored, audited, and archived as needed.
Prohibited personal email use
Personal email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook Personal, AOL, iCloud, Proton Mail, etc.) may not be used for company business unless approved in writing by executive management.
- Send company documents from personal accounts
- Receive customer or patient information through personal email
- Forward company emails to personal accounts
- Store company files in personal email storage
- Send invoices, contracts, or proposals from personal accounts
- Use personal accounts to communicate with vendors on behalf of the company
Email setup checklist
0/5Authorized exceptions
- During temporary system outages
- Before company credentials are issued during onboarding
- When specifically approved in writing by management
If used in an emergency, notify management immediately, copy all communications to your company email once restored, and upload relevant records to company systems.
Response standards
- Internal emails: within one business day
- Customer/vendor emails: acknowledge within 4 hours
- Urgent matters: respond immediately or escalate
Team inboxes
Retention
- All business emails are company records
- Do not delete retention-required records
- Never circumvent archiving systems
- Access is disabled upon separation
HubSpot email integration
- Connect company email accounts to HubSpot
- Log all customer communications
- Associate emails with the correct contact, company, deal or ticket
- Record notes on significant discussions
Violations
Violations of this policy may result in written warning, suspension of system access, disciplinary action, termination, or legal action where applicable. Report phishing, unauthorized access, lost devices, or suspicious activity to management and IT immediately.