Workplace Internet and E-mail: Do you have an Acceptable Use Policy in Place?

If you don’t have a solid Internet and e-mail Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in place in your workplace for employees to follow, your business could be at serious risk.

An AUP should be drafted with care so as to minimise the risks posed by the use of internet and e-mail within your business; risks that could lead to legal proceedings and a serious slow down on your business operations.

It is important, particularly in the smaller business, to be realistic when putting together your policy. Your priority is the safety and security of your IT system and data and of course upholding the good name of your business; however it is important not to make rules overly stringent so as to stop your staff being able to do their jobs properly, or indeed affect morale.

The policy should be updated regularly, and should address the specific needs of your business.

Here are some tips on what a fairly drafted policy could cover:

Do not allow employees to: 

• Use internet radio; this saps bandwidth which leads to slow internet, which can slow down working processes
• Use peer to peer file sharing sites; this poses the threat of viruses which can bring a halt to a network operation
• Use social networking sites during business hours; working time should be spent on work, not socialising
• Visit sites or send or forward e-mails that have content related to sex, gambling, violence or racial hatred as this can lead to costly litigation
• Download freeware or shareware – the virus risk is high
• Download copied software – this is illegal and could lead to serious litigation
• Use e-mail for personal use; it is time wasting and e-mails are still generated from and stored on business servers which could lead to legal issues should the content of those e-mails be dubious

Do:

• Restrict personal use of the internet to lunch time or outside business hours
• Use a firewall with programmable content restrictions
• Make it clear that your company owns any e-mail communications stored on your company computers and that you have the right to access them at any time
• Clearly set out the disciplinary process that you will follow should there be a breach of your policy
• Ensure all members of staff are issued with a copy of the AUP and monitor supervisors and managers on its implementation

High profile court cases concerning the use of corporate equipment for personal, social or dubious actions are well documented for costing employers considerably. If you don’t want that to happen to your business, get an AUP place sooner rather than later. And appreciate the knock on effect that seemingly innocent actions can have.

Taking time to draft a strong Acceptable Use Policy that is tailored to your company is an important investment in the future of your business. Make sure you have one in place, and ensure it is enforced!