Cell phones, BlackBerry®, PDAs, iPod® devices, personal laptops, and flash memory sticks—they’re in your workplace, perhaps by the dozens, but are they posing more dangers than you know? Our experts sort it out.
Especially now that gift-giving season has come and gone, you are probably seeing them in your workplace … gadgets! Everything from iPods to laptops.
No company can stop this technology revolution, but does the new wave of technology pose any special dangers to your business? And, if so, is there anything you can you do about it?
The answers to both these questions is yes, say Diana Gregory and Drew Langevin.
Gregory, an SPHR-certified senior human resources specialist with the Walnut Creek, California, office of Administaff, and Langevin, a generalist HR consultant, also based in Walnut Creek, presented their recommendations at a recent audio conference sponsored by BLR.
Here are the tech-related issues that the experts say HR managers must address:
Slurping. Employees can “slurp”—that is, record your proprietary data off your computers—onto their PDA, or iPod, flash memory, or laptop. If they take it to a competitor, the results could be disastrous.
The first level of defense, the experts advise, is to have—and enforce—a strict written policy concerning the use of these devices.
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Next, consider setting up your data systems so that proprietary data are not downloadable to employee levels. Keep access on a need-to-know basis. More and more companies are taking sensitive data out of the company location entirely, the experts note.
These are, of course, easy things to recommend, but very technical to carry out, so it’s time to have a serious talk with your IT people about information access.
Identity theft. Credit agencies report that the number one source of identity fraud is stolen employer records, Gregory says. That puts a burden on employers to protect employee data. As with slurping, this rates a formal policy and a talk with your IT specialists.
Unhappy employees. Then there’s the employee who becomes unhappy, didn’t get promoted, or got fired, and who then decides to upload a virus into your system, or—especially if technically inclined with deep access into your systems—to take some other damaging action, such as erasing or corrupting data.
That means taking special care when terminating technical people. You may wish to immediately take away their access to your systems.
Objectionable material. Here’s another challenge: Employees who use your network to download obscene, discriminatory, or objectionable material. In one sexual harassment case, says Gregory, an e-mail was circulated about “Why beer is better than women.” The company was held liable for $2.2 million.
Make sure your policies are clear on what is and isn’t appropriate use. Monitor employee Internet usage (after putting them on notice).
You’re invited to try BLR’s SmartPolicies on CD at no cost or risk. Click for more info or to start your complimentary trial of the program.
Release of information. Employees may use a blog (a personal Internet diary) to disclose confidential information or to disparage your company or specific co-workers or managers, warns Gregory. Again, the policy is the starting point for preventing this behavior.
Third-party liability. Your organization might be an “innocent” third party and still be sued. For example, when an employee’s blog disclosed information about a new project at Apple®, which is very secretive about upcoming products, Apple was going to sue the company that allowed the blog to be circulated. The suit was dropped, but it’s a warning to employers about how they can get involved even when they don’t think they are.
Productivity issues. Employee use of personal devices or the Internet at work also brings productivity issues. One survey revealed that workers admit they waste 2 hours a day instant messaging and surfing the Web. Langevin, however, has a client who’s found a positive approach to using the new gadgets as a motivation tool. Only employees who meet production standards can listen to their musical devices.
In so many of these issues, the place to start is with your policies. In the next Advisor, we’ll talk about policies and introduce an extraordinary program that’s already tackled the problem for you.