Q. What are the policies of the city of Honolulu, the state of Hawai'i and the federal government on their employees' use of work e-mail addresses for personal use?

I see a lot of e-mail addresses that are obviously work addresses being used for personal communication. I am betting government employees are not limiting their personal e-mail to non-work hours, which means that as a taxpayer, I am paying for their personal communications.

A. In general, city, state and federal policies say work e-mail should be used for work, but there's flexibility and variation.

The city's policy is so strict that employees must agree to it every time they access the Internet, according to spokesman Bill Brennan.

Before they can do anything else, they must acknowledge that if they stray from work-related uses, they could have their Internet privileges revoked and might even face discipline — ranging from reprimand to termination and even criminal prosecution, if warranted.

At the state level, state comptroller Russ Saito said, "Personal use is permitted only on an 'incidental' basis. In general, state employees are not supposed to be using their e-mail addresses for personal e-mail messages."

Georgette Deemer, spokeswoman for the state House of Representatives, said e-mail, as well as all other office equipment, is limited to state or legislative business.

I couldn't find an umbrella federal policy, but the U.S. Senate policies allow occasional use of equipment for personal matters, as long as it's not partisan, political or campaign-related.

Q. I am a new state Department of Education employee. I started working on Feb. 19 and was informed that I would receive my first paycheck on April 4 — six weeks later.

When I asked why it takes so long, I was told "That's the way it is." I am astonished that this is an accepted method for new state employees, especially during these economic times.

A. State law says that employees hired after July 1, 1998, are paid one pay period plus five days after the end of the current pay period.

That means if you started on Feb. 19, you could have been paid on March 20, said state comptroller Russ Saito.

Your paycheck might have been delayed if employment forms and clearances weren't submitted in time, or if your timecard was submitted late.

"The employee should check with the DOE's personnel and fiscal office about when the information was processed," Saito said.