To Redact Or Not To Redact

Emails tend to contain information on more than one subject. When responding to a Freedom of Information Act request for email records on a specific topic, you can withhold emails within an email chain that have nothing to do with the request. You can also redact a paragraph within an email on a different topic. That also goes for all other types of records.

The Postal Service’s FOIA regulations define a record as a “grouping of information” that “pertains to a specific topic.”  When information in emails and documents don’t respond to the specific topic of a request, redacting can protect USPS sensitive information.

And that’s smart business.

Contact the Federal Compliance team for guidance.

Resolving disagreements

Decision making among team members, or different groups, may not be a smooth process.

• Give employees a detailed a view of the process or project, from all decision points, to refer to and share.
• Empower employees to understand how their input matters and where it fits into the team efforts.

Finding agreement over direction, process steps and end goals is a multi-pronged effort that requires clear planning and communication.

And that’s smart business!