Introduction
Higham Hill Employer provides you with access to various computing, telephone and postage ‘Facilities’ to allow you to undertake your job and to facilitate internal and external communications.
This policy sets out the Employer position in your use of these ‘Facilities’. It includes; Your responsibilities and potential liabilities when using the Facilities
The monitoring policy adopted by the Employer; and Guidance on how to use the Facilities
This Policy has been created to;
Ensure compliance with all applicable laws related to data protection, information security and compliance monitoring
Protect the Employer and its employees from the risk of financial loss, loss of reputation or libel; and
Ensure the Facilities are not used so as to cause harm or damage to any person or organisation.
The Policy applies to the use of;
Local, national and international, private or public networks (including the Internet and Intranet) and all systems and services accessed through those networks:
Desktop and mobile computers and applications
Mobile telephones (including the use of WAP services); and Electronic mail and messaging services
The standards for communication set out in this Policy in order to protect the Employer and its reputation, apply to all staff, including those who do not have routine access to office based ‘Facilities’.
Observation of this Policy is mandatory and forms part of your Terms and Conditions of Employing. Misuse of the facilities will be treated as gross misconduct and may lead to dismissal.
General Guidance
Never leave any equipment or data (including client files, laptops, computer equipment or mobile phones) unattended.
When using e-mail or sending any form of written communication:
Be careful with whom you communicate. Staffs are expected to maintain a professional relationship with clients. Communicating informally by e-mail or on social networking sites e.g. accepting clients as friends on Facebook is strongly discouraged.
Be thoughtful about what you write. Never forget that email and written communications are not the same as conversation. They are a written record and can be duplicated at will (and put into the public domain)
Use normal capitalisation and punctuation e.g. Typing a message all in capital letters is equivalent to shouting at the reader.
Always check your grammar and spelling before sending a message
Emails and other forms of Communications should maintain the high standards expected by the Employer. Where applicable you should use formal headings and introductions such as ‘Dear…’ and ‘Yours sincerely’ etc even in e-mails.
Computer Facilities – Use of Computer Systems
The Facilities must be used for business purposes only.
In order to maintain the confidentiality of information on or transferred via the Employer Facilities, security measures are in place and must be followed at all times. A log-on ID and password is issued to every member of office staff and is required for access to the Employer network. You are responsible for keeping your password secure. You must not give it to anyone, including colleagues, except as expressly authorised by the Employer. Despite your use of a password, the Employer reserves the right to override your password and obtain access to any part of the Facilities.
You are expressly prohibited from using the Facilities for the sending of, receiving, printing or otherwise disseminating information which is the confidential information of the Employer or its clients or staff, other than is the normal and proper course of carrying out your duties for the Employer.
In order to ensure proper use of computers, you must adhere to the following practices; Anti-viral software must be kept running at all times
All floppy discs or other forms of media storage must be from a reputable source. If in doubt permission must be sought before use, from a Director.
Obvious passwords such as birthdays and spouse names etc must be avoided. The most secure passwords are random combinations of numbers as letters
All files must be stored on the server (s: drive) which is backed up regularly to avoid loss of information (not the PC hard drive (C: drive), which will only be backed up if you do it yourself). Always log off the network before leaving your computer for long periods of time or overnight.
If at any time an employee wishes to use the Facilities for private purposes, they should contact a Employer Secretary who will consider the request and any restrictions upon which such consent is to be given.
Software
Software privacy could expose both the Employer and the user to the allegations of intellectual property infringement. The Employer is committed to following the terms and conditions of all software licences to which the Employer is a contractual party. This means, in particular, that:
Software must not be installed onto any of the Employer computers unless an appropriate licence has been obtained, the software can be established to be virus free and compatible with the Employer Facilities; and
Software should not be removed from any computer nor should it be copied or loaded onto any computer without prior consent from a Director.
Laptop Computer
At various times during your Employing with the Employer you may be assigned a laptop. These computers, along with related equipment and software are subject to the Employer policies and guidelines governing all computers and software. However, use of laptops creates additional problems especially in respect of potential breaches of confidentiality. When using a laptop:
The laptop must be kept securely at all times.
You are responsible for all equipment and software until you return it.
You are the only person authorised to use the equipment and software issued to you
You must not load or install any sources without permission from a Director and checking the files for viruses
The data kept on your laptop must be backed up regularly in order to protect data against theft, mechanical failure or corruption
You must password protect confidential data on portable memory sticks or on the hard drive to protect against theft
If you discover any mechanical, electronic or software defects or malfunctions, you should immediately bring such defects or malfunctions to the attention of a Director.
Upon request, at any time, for any reason, you will immediately return any laptop, equipment and all software to the Employer; and
If you are using your own laptop (or desktop) to connect to the Employer network or to transfer data between the laptop and any of the Employer computers you must ensure that you have obtained prior consent, comply with any instructions given and ensure that any data downloaded or uploaded is free from any viruses.
E-mail (Internal or external use)
Internet e-mail is not a secure medium for communication – it can be intercepted and read. Do not use it to say anything you would not wish to be made public. If you are sending confidential information by e-mail this should be sent using a password protected attachment.
E-mail should be treated as any other documentation. If you would normally retain a certain document in hard copy you should retain the e-mail.
Do not forward e-mail messages unless the original sender is aware the message may be forwarded. If you would not forward a copy of a paper letter or memo with the same information, do not forward the e-mail.
Your e-mail box should be checked on a regular basis
As with many other records, emails may be subject to discovery in litigation. As with all communications, you should not say anything that might appear inappropriate or that might be misinterpreted by a reader.
E-mails must not contain information or data that could be considered to be obscene, racist, sexist, otherwise offensive, part of a pyramid or chain letter or used for the purposes of trading or carrying out any business activity other than Employer business
Employer e-mail should not be used for private purposes
Internet
You are responsible for ensuring that you are the only person using your authorised Internet account and services.
If there is a file or document on the Internet that you wish to acquire, then you should seek the approval of a director before downloading any files from the Internet using the Employer computer Facilities.
Viewing, displaying or storing (including data held in RAM or cache) or disseminating materials (including text and images) that could be considered to be obscene, racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive may constitute harassment and such use of the Facilities is strictly prohibited. (The legal focus in a harassment case is the impact of the allegedly harassing material on the person viewing it, not how the material is viewed by the person sending or displaying it.)
Posting information on the Internet, whether on a social networking site, newsgroup, via a chat room or via e-mail is no different from publishing information in the newspaper. If a posting is alleged to be defamatory, libellous or harassing, the employee making the posting and the Employer could face legal claims for monetary damages. Such postings will be viewed very seriously and may result in disciplinary action.
Using the Internet for personal use or for the purpose of trading or carrying out any business activity other than Employer business is strictly prohibited.
For the avoidance of doubt the matters set out above include use of WAP facilities.
Monitoring Policy
The Employer recognises the importance of an individual’s privacy but needs to balance this against the requirement to protect others and preserve the integrity and functionality of the Facilities. The Employer reserves the right to monitor staff use of the Facilities.
The Employer may from time to time monitor the Facilities. The principle reasons for this are to:
Detect any harassment or inappropriate behaviour by employees, ensuring compliance with contracts of Employing and relevant policies including health and safety, equality and equal opportunities.
Ensure compliance with this policy
Detect and enforce the integrity of the Facilities and any sensitive or confidential information belonging to or under the control of the Employer
Ensure compliance by users of the Facilities with all applicable laws (including Data Protection), regulations and guidelines published and in force from time to time.
Monitor and protect the well-being of employees
The Employer may adopt at any time a number of methods to monitor the use of the Facilities. These may include:
Recording and logging the activities by individual users of the Facilities (including telephones). This may include logging of telephone calls, opening e-mails and their attachments, monitoring Internet usage including time spent on the Internet and web sites visited.
Physical inspection of an individual users computers, software and telephone messaging services
Periodic monitoring of the Facilities through Third party software including real time inspections Physical inspection of an individual’s post
Archiving of any information obtained from the above including e-mails, telephone call logs and Internet downloads.
The Employer will not (unless required by law): Allow third parties to monitor the facilities
Disclose information obtained by such monitoring of the Facilities to a third party.
(The Employer may be prohibited by law from notifying employees using the Facilities of a disclosure to a third party.)