The
Background Buzz Insider
February 24, 2010
Do
You Have a Cell Phone Policy That Will Reduce Safety, Liabilities
and Legal Issues?
Just because cell phones have taken over the way we communicate
doesn’t mean they have to take over your business. Here's
some advice on how to institute a policy to protect your company
from disruptive and legally-damaging behavior that can cost your
business lots of money.
- Camera
Use: Most mobile devices today come equipped with cameras,
and your policy should strictly define where and how they should
be used – if at all. For example, consider restricting your
employees from taking their phones to the restroom, says Hyman,
recalling a client of his who sued her employer after she was
sent inappropriate pictures of a manager in the restroom.
You also want to reduce the chances of any confidential
or propriety information from ending up in an employee’s
phone – and later in a competitor’s hands. You can
do this by expressly forbidding mobile devices in the research
and development department, for example, or in the vicinity of
private documents or financial activity.
- Public
Conversations: Regulations that ban the sharing of proprietary
information should apply the same for verbal exchanges, via personal
and company-owned phones. “You want to put some confidentiality
rules in place,” says Flynn. “Business conversations
should be held in private – not in an elevator or airport.”
- Talking
and Texting While Driving: Many states, such as New York
and Washington, have strict laws that completely ban the use of
hand-held mobile devices while operating a vehicle. Even if your
state doesn’t have such legislation, your policy should
completely prohibit drivers from using cell phones during work
hours– especially in company-owned transportation. In the
event of an accident, an injured party will likely sue the company
– not the employee, explains Hyman. “If I’m
an employer, I can say, ‘No, you can’t do this while
you’re working, therefore I’m not responsible,”
he says. This should also apply to operating heavy machinery.
- Harassment:
Don’t forget to include guidelines from your workplace harassment
policy. State that employees should immediately report to management
if they feel harassed through texts or e-mails sent from another’s
cell phone. “Any workplace technology has really made it
so much easier for employees to harass each other,” says
Hyman. “It used to be where you would go up to somebody
and ask somebody on a date and they’d say yes or no”
For More Information
and To Read The Entire Article Go To:
http://www.inc.com/guides/how-to-create-a-cell-phone-policy.html
|