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Employees and technology use

Many employers turn a blind eye to their staff using the e-mail or Internet for personal use.  After all, organising a drink after work or booking a flight only takes a few minutes and many employees view it as a small perk of the job.

However, what starts out as a ‘quick e-mail’ can soon escalate to significant downtime with a consequent loss of productivity and profitability.

An investigation by the Observer newspaper recently uncovered that government bodies had sacked 130 people and disciplined 1,700 over IT abuses.

As an employer, do you have the right to probe into suspected ‘technology abuse‘?

The answer could lie in the creation of an Employee Internet and Email policy which covers both e-mail and internet usage. This can be incorporated directly into an employment contract and may also be included in any staff handbook.

The policy should make it clear that staff should not expect privacy when using their employer's computer network for personal use, but employers should bear in mind that any decision to monitor e-mail or internet usage should be taken with care. 

In the UK, for example, intercepting communications (as opposed to monitoring) is lawful where all parties agree.

In most cases, employers are permitted to monitor employees’ e-mails, so long as it is for legitimate reasons and the means used are proportionate.

Even though the Internet and Email policy may be in the employment contracts and handbooks,  it is a good idea to remind employees periodically that the policy exists.

 

For further information contact Virginia Mark.

The information given in this article is of a general nature only and should not be considered as advice applicable to any particular situation for which specific request should be made to us.