Employer provided IT, internet and email services are prone to abuse and misuse by employees, sometimes deliberately and other times not.
The internet and email are essential tools for most businesses. Email makes correspondence and transactions simple and efficient, but it is also easy to send the wrong email to the wrong recipient!
To guard against deliberate misuse and to assist employees to be more mindful of their use of IT services, we recommend that employers should have both an email and IT policy that outlines the proper use of such tools and services, and the consequences for inappropriate or misuse of the same.
Generally these policies should include a minimum statement to the effect that:
internet and email facilities are provided for business purposes only and should be limited to such use;
internet and email use and content will be monitored;
unauthorised use of the internet and email is not permitted;
employees must not access or send emails which contain content that is inappropriate, harassing or which may bring the business into disrepute;
emails sent using employer provided services should be professional and courteous; and
disciplinary action may be taken for breaches of the policy.
Unfortunately history has shown us that, as an employer, you cannot just expect your employees to know what is acceptable and what is not. It is important that there is either a policy or guidelines which outline the standard expected of employees when using email or other technology resources.
Disclaimer
This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. Yellow Consulting does not accept liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on the content of this blog, or from links on this website to any external website. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.
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