Two experts prescribe 8 policies to handle workplace technology misuse problems. You could write them yourself, but there’s also an easier way …
Yesterday’s Daily Advisor used the introduction of the new Apple® iPhone™ as an entrée into a discussion of the issues new technology has raised in the workplace.
We recounted how in a recent BLR audio conference, two experts, Administaff’s Diana Gregory and HR consultant Greg Langevin, listed the many ways workers misuse technology. Things like “slurping” (siphoning off) key information to sell to your competitors, downloading obscene material, passing around offensive and discriminatory e-mails, or just wasting time surfing the Web for personal purposes.
In the same session, Gregory and Langevin suggested the antidote to these silicon-induced ills: It’s policy that spells out how equipment can be used, how you’re going to monitor its use, and what consequences a violation will bring.
Handle technology and other HR concerns easily and affordably … with the 350 ready-to-use, legally reviewed, prewritten policies of BLR’s SmartPolicies on CD-ROM. Try it at no cost. Read more.
“Educate employees, post posters, and even send information home,” says Langevin, “so that the spouse or significant other is aware of the policy, in case they are communicating to the employee over company equipment.”
Here are some of the policy steps they recommend:
–Indicate exactly who may use company equipment and when they may use it.
–Monitor your systems. (There’s software to do it.) Tell employees forcefully, and remind them in writing, that there is no expectation of privacy when using company equipment, even at home or on the road.
–Note that even “deleted” files and messages are retrievable and that employees may assume whatever they post will never be erased.
–Prohibit the downloading of anything offensive, obscene, pornographic, or unlawful.
–Post notice of any areas in your facility subject to video surveillance. (You cannot, of course, monitor rest rooms or other areas where privacy is customarily expected.)
–Notify employees if company-supplied cell phones have GPS locators, and tell them you reserve the right to check their location during work hours.
–Consider a “loyalty policy” banning denigration of the company on blogs or personal websites.
–Create a special disciplinary policy that shortcuts the usual sequence and allows you to immediately cut off improper use of equipment and discipline the user.
It’s no secret that writing the kind of policies described above is no easy task. Other than the time and tech-savvy knowledge it takes, there’s the need to foresee how new technologies will affect you. “A company must always be thinking faster than the technology it deploys,” notes attorney Frank C. Morris, Jr., on the website law.com.
Let the Experts Do it
Fortunately, there is another alternative. Let the experts do it by use of a prewritten policies program.
BLR has an excellent one, called SmartPolicies on CD-ROM. It includes some 350 prewritten policies on virtually every phase of HR, including, of course, technology. (“Electronic Mail,” “Phone Monitoring,” and “Voice Mail,” are some that are currently included.) All policies are legally reviewed and ready to use or modify with your specifics. And key to the program is its frequent updating. So whenever Apple’s Steve Jobs unleashes his next brainstorm, our editors and legal reviewers will be on the case.
Whether you decide to use SmartPolicies (and you can inspect it at no cost for up to 30 days) or one of its counterparts on the market, look for these features:
To inspect SmartPolicies on CD-ROM for 30 days at no cost and no risk, click here.
–Time-Tested. You do not want a program of policies written yesterday. Why? Errors and omissions show up over time as the policy is tested in actual workplace situations. SmartPolicies was developed from our Encyclopedia of Prewritten Personnel Policies, which has been successfully used for decades.
–Complete. SmartPolicies’ 350 prewritten documents cover virtually every essential employment topic. Topics are alphabetically arranged within categories for easy access.
–Customizable. SmartPolicies’ CD-ROM format makes this possible. Just insert your company’s logo and specifics and print out.
–Versioned. A prewritten program should offer different versions of its policies to fit your management style. BLR has “strict,” “standard,” and “progressive” wordings. Choose the one that best matches your company’s mindset.
–Updated. Most important when it comes to changing technology, SmartPolicies sends quarterly updates addressing new policy concerns, on approval, for as long as you stay with the program.
And because policies that exist in isolation tend to be ignored, a good reference will also tutor you on building a policy program, including how to integrate new policies with existing documents such as employee handbooks, and set up a review process. This tutorial is included in SmartPolicies on CD-ROM.
There’s one other factor to consider … affordability. SmartPolicies’ cost per policy is under $1.
As mentioned, you can examine the program for up to 30 days at no cost or risk. Click the link below and we’ll be happy to arrange it.
Download product sample
Download table of contents
The HR Policy Shortcut:
Why spend your time and effort writing HR policies when we’ve already done more than 350 for you, covering virtually every critical, compliance-related area in BLR’s best-selling SmartPolicies on CD-ROM. Every policy expertly written and legally reviewed. Just customize or use as is. Less than $1 a policy! Try it for 30 days. Read more.