New Policy: This is a sample simple, straightforward email and Internet policy. Please utilize the policy to form the basis for your work email and Internet policies. This policy sample is not to be construed as legal advice.
My post yesterday (scroll down) did get me thinking about employee perceptions of their use of the Internet and email at work. I ran across an interesting article that discusses employee perceptions of where they surf online vs. system administrators' data about where employees go online. In a recent study, 61 percent of respondents admitted they spent time online doing non-work related activities while at work.
Some big discrepancies exist between employee and employer claims. Employees say they spend 3.06 hours a week accessing non-work-related sites. Management says employees spend 5.7 hours a week surfing non-business related sites. Additionally, employees say 93 percent of their Internet time is at business-related sites. Employers find 58 percent of sites visited are work-related. Take a look to compare perceptions of Internet use time.
My post yesterday (scroll down) did get me thinking about employee perceptions of their use of the Internet and email at work. I ran across an interesting article that discusses employee perceptions of where they surf online vs. system administrators' data about where employees go online. In a recent study, 61 percent of respondents admitted they spent time online doing non-work related activities while at work.
Some big discrepancies exist between employee and employer claims. Employees say they spend 3.06 hours a week accessing non-work-related sites. Management says employees spend 5.7 hours a week surfing non-business related sites. Additionally, employees say 93 percent of their Internet time is at business-related sites. Employers find 58 percent of sites visited are work-related. Take a look to compare perceptions of Internet use time.
An often overlooked area (“it’s not my role says HR”) is the issue surrounding software copyright and the policy the organisation has for managing the issue, should staff become involved in installing software to their PCs without authorisation.
Why should this be a HR function to handle?
The issue of Software Piracy is a PEOPLE based problem, not a Technology issue!
Sure, “technology” should stop people from copying software, (Microsoft keeps trying but they really have no idea how to best to achieve this) but no matter what preventative methods are applied (activation codes, etc) there are some very clever people who can overcome almost all these methods. In many cases organisations complain about the activation codes being too restrictive anyway without fully understanding what is trying to be achieved!
If your staff use these techniques (hacking and cracking) on your premises “under your nose”, then your organisation is AT RISK.
We offer a simple policy structure that engages HR from the outset and protects the organization. Contact us direct at pcprpfile@internode.on.net
HR has a key role to play a much bigger role in the management of software piracy within an organisation by making staff accountable and there are some very simple and effective ways that you can do this, legally!
oopps wrong e-mail address should have been pcprofile@internode.on.net