An Electronic Systems Policy

Most businesses rely extensively on workplace emails, texts, and other electronic systems.

Without written guidelines, employees might not understand their privacy rights can fail to extend to personal communications over company equipment.

Best practices thus include sound policy confirming management’s ability to access and monitor its electronic communication devices, including proper employee use and etiquette in utilizing these systems.

The policy should:

• Define the company’s electronic devices and systems;
• Confirm no reasonable expectation of privacy for information located on company-owned devices and systems;
• Specify management’s right to access, monitor, copy, intercept, review and wipe any such information at any time;
• Clarify all such information is company property;
• Restrict the employee’s use of such devices and systems to company business; and
• Describe acceptable uses, e.g., no unauthorized software installation, no undisclosed passwords/access codes, and no violations of the company’s anti-harassment policy.

Take-Away:

Implement and regularly review a comprehensive, clearly written handbook with an updated and compliant employee electronic usage policy.

We publish this series to educate employers on best practices for a well-written handbook that assists applicants, employees, and management alike. To purchase our template handbook – which contains the above policy and much more – and accompanying forms or for more information, please contact Office Manager Aimee Rosales at 626.583.6600 or email her at officemgr@tbowleslaw.com.

See also:

• Handbook Helper Episode 12 Prying Eyes – Employee Privacy Policy (September 30, 2022)
• Handbook Helper Episode 6 Positive Punishment – Progressive Discipline Policy(July 20, 2022)
• Handbook Helper Episode 5 Golden Rules – Workplace Conduct Policy (July 8, 2022)

Cindy Bamforth
October 14, 2022