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Appendices

There are no appendices.

Introduction

We encourage staff to use email and the internet at work. It saves time and expense. However, we do require that you follow the simple rules below. A serious breach of these rules could lead to dismissal. If you are unsure about whether anything you want or plan to do might breach our email and internet policy, you should speak to your line manager for advice first.

Although we encourage the use of email, it can be risky. You need to be careful not to introduce viruses into our system. You should only use your Hft address (i.e. joanne.bloggs@.uk) on the Hft email system in order to receive messages. You should not access your personal addresses on our computers using Outlook or any other email client software. Should you wish to access personal email messages, then you should only use a web-based system (such as Hotmail) that allows you to view messages without downloading attachments. You need to take proper account of the security advice below.

These rules are designed to minimise the legal risks we run when you use email at work and access the internet. They are also designed to inform you what you may and may not do at work in this area. If there is something we have not covered and you do not know what our policy is, then you must ask your line manager. You should not assume that you know the right answer.

Technology and the law change all the time and this policy will be updated regularly. It is your responsibility to read the latest version of this document, which is available from our intranet site.

The aims of these rules are to be helpful. They are not aimed to discourage you from using the internet or email – we encourage the use of these, as they offer us a major opportunity.

If there is anything in the rules that becomes unworkable or that you do not understand, you should advise your line manager. You should also inform the IT department, which will do its best to correct or alter the rules if appropriate.

1. General

1. The introduction of viruses, or malicious tampering with any computer systems, is expressly prohibited. Any such activity will result in disciplinary action.

2. If you are using our accounts, you are acting as our representative. As such, you should act accordingly, in such a way that does not damage our reputation.

3. Any infringing activity by you may be our responsibility. Therefore, we may choose to hold you liable for your actions.

2. Using the internet at work

1. If you are an authorised internet user (i.e. you have been provided with a computer with internet access at your desk), you may use the internet at work.

2. You are not allowed to arrange your own internet access on the PC on your desk. All internet access must be officially sanctioned and put in place by the IT department.

3. Access to the internet must be used sensibly so that it does not interfere with our efficient working.

4. We encourage those of you who have internet access to become familiar with the internet. We do not currently impose any time limit on work-related internet use. We trust you not to abuse the freedom given to you. If this trust is abused, then we reserve the right to alter the policy in this respect. Any abuse of the internet may result in disciplinary action (see the Disciplinary Procedure or Disciplinary Procedure during Probationary Period).

3. Social networking sites

1. We have not restricted access to social networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo) at the present time; however, we are monitoring levels of usage.

2. We understand that the use of social networking sites is becoming a normal part of social interaction. It can be a valuable tool for you and the people we support. It can widen their social circles, and help them keep in touch with friends and family and find out what is going on. However, sharing information within a public arena can lead to problems regarding privacy and too much personal information being available to a wide audience.

3. The following guide aims to advise you how you can use social networking sites responsibly, either at work or at home, without compromising your position. It also advises on the safe and appropriate use of social networking with the people you support.

You must not:

• be ‘friends’ on social networking sites with anyone supported by us

• mention Hft anywhere on a social networking site that can be viewed with or without your permission

• make any remarks or reference to any employee, volunteer or person Hft supports that could be construed as disparaging or derogatory

• upload pictures of people supported by Hft or their homes onto your own site

• log onto your own social networking sites within your working hours, on any computer

• use social networking sites on your own mobile within working hours

• bring your own laptop to work, unless by prior agreement with your line manager.

You may:

• use social networking sites during a sleep-in for a reasonable time, for example, about an hour; similarly, office-based staff can use social networking sites during an official break such as lunch

• help the people you support to set up and access their own social networking sites on our computers or their own computers; however, you should strongly advise them to use the highest security settings and be very selective about their online friends

• join the same social networking site page (e.g. a fan club) as people you support and communicate with them there, as long as you have secured your own site

• support people to upload pictures and videos onto their own sites as long as the content is appropriate

• your service may set up a local page for staff, people you support and families, as long as it is carefully managed and monitored. People must have secured their private sites before being allowed to join. This must be sanctioned by the operations manager before being set up.

You are strongly advised:

• to set your privacy settings to the highest possible level, e.g. change all access to ‘friends only’

• not to have a list of your friends available for everyone to view

• not to have an accessible list of groups you belong to, if any of the groups may conflict with our policies and values.

Be aware of the following:

• If you are ‘friends’ on social networking sites with someone you manage, this is likely to compromise your position.

• You are advised to set all your access to 'friends only'. Be aware that any information that is not secured could be accessed by people you support, their families, your colleagues and your managers.

• If you accept anyone connected to Hft as a friend, they may report back inappropriate content to your managers.

• We can and do use any information published on social networking sites in disciplinary proceedings and it could result in dismissal.

• We can and do monitor usage of social networking sites and check unsecured content.

• Even if your site is secure, we may be able to view your friends' sites. There may be information, pictures and posts written by you on their sites that can have implications for your role. We can and do use such information in relation to breaches of this procedure and potential disciplinary proceedings.

• If groups you are a member of conflict with our values, this may have to be addressed.

• If you use applications on social networking sites, you are allowing the makers to access your private information and potentially sell this information for marketing purposes.

• We take very seriously any complaints we receive regarding comments or content that you have posted on a site. This may include anything that refers in a disparaging or derogatory way to us, any person we support, staff or volunteers. It also includes any post or posts that breach our Bullying and Harassment Policy. Any of the above may result in disciplinary action being taken, which could include dismissal.

4. Removing internet access

1. We reserve the right, at any time, to deny internet access to you.

5. Registering on websites

1. You are encouraged to register as a user of appropriate websites for work purposes, if you wish to do so. There are many sites that are very useful for us, and a lot of them require registration. You should ask your line manager before you do so, however, so we can check what you may be committing to. This also ensures that your registration will not result in Hft being inundated with junk mail. You should make sure you tick any boxes to show that you do not want the data you enter to be used for marketing purposes.

6. Software licences and contracts

1. There are sites where you can access free work-related information and documents, and these sometimes require us to enter into licence or contract terms. The fact that they are electronic does not affect our normal rules in this respect, so you will need to check the terms and refer them to your area manager or director. You should print out the terms and send them for approval in advance, or email them to the area manager, director or other relevant person. You should do this before you agree to them on our behalf. In most cases, they will be unobjectionable and the free information to which you will then be entitled may save us money. Always consider, however, whether the information is from a reputable source and is likely to be accurate and kept up to date. For free information, most of the contract terms you will be required to sign up to will exclude liability for accuracy. If you are not sure, please ask.

7. Downloading files and software

1. You should be very careful when downloading files from the internet and only download files from sites that you can absolutely trust. You must check with the IT department before downloading any software. This is to ensure that it is compatible with our systems and/or does not cause other problems.

8. Uploading content to the web

1. You cannot place company material (such as copyright software or internal correspondence) on any publicly accessible internet computer without prior permission from your director.

2. When featuring details or photographs of people we support anywhere on the internet, their prior permission must always be obtained.

9. Using the internet for personal purposes

1. We do not specifically limit access to the internet for your personal use, so long as it is carried out in your own time (e.g. lunchtime, breaks). You should not contravene any of the rules that also apply to company use. Therefore, it is forbidden to access any offensive material and make libellous statements. You should not transmit anything that could constitute prejudice of any sort or access any material that breaks English law. Disciplinary action up to and including dismissal may result if these rules are broken. A number of other policies are relevant here, particularly (but not exclusively) those relating to Bullying and Harassment Guidelines and the Disciplinary Procedure or Disciplinary Procedure during Probationary Period.

2. When receiving emails from another department that contain links to a website that is not related to work, the link must only be accessed outside work time.

10. Use of email

1. Use of email for personal purposes is allowed, providing this does not infringe on work tasks and is not excessive (either in volume or in download/upload time). You should also ensure that no material is sent or received that may cause offence to others, even if they are not the intended recipient. Our handbook on Bullying and Harassment, Diversity and Equality and related documents apply to all electronic message systems and website access.

2. We consider joke emails and chain emails to be high risk, as the sender has no control over the identity of future recipients. You should not send any joke emails or chain emails from our accounts if there is any potential that any future recipient could be offended or angered by its contents. It is the sender’s responsibility to assess the appropriateness of the email for any potential future audience. Any infringement of this or our policy guideline on Bullying and Harassment, Diversity and Equality and related documents could result in disciplinary action, which may result in dismissal.

3. Under no circumstances should large distribution lists such as ‘All Hft’ be used for personal purposes, as these generate hundreds of emails.

4. Read emails carefully several times. It is just as important for emails to be accurate and free from typing and spelling errors as it is for letters. Emails are often the written public face of Hft.

5. Avoid statements that criticise other organisations or their staff. This includes talking about quality problems with suppliers’ or customers’ goods or services, or stating that someone is incompetent.

6. Never attach anything to an email if you suspect it may contain a virus. If it does, we could be liable to the recipient for loss suffered. We have virus checking software in place but you should still check with the IT department if you are in any doubt. Be very careful about forwarding attachments from third parties, particularly unidentified third parties. These may not have been cleared for copyright purposes and, by sending them on to someone else, you may be in breach of copyright as you are making a further copy, and we could be libelled for damages for breach of copyright.

11. Libel

1. We can be sued for libel if you make inaccurate statements that disparage other people or companies in your emails. This could lead to us having to pay damages and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Therefore, you should read all your messages carefully before you send them and, if you are in any doubt at all, you should check the content with your line manager first.

12. Copying people in

1. When you reply to an email, you should be very careful you do not automatically copy in (CC) everyone who was copied in on the original email. It is easy to do this and can mean an email is seen by someone who should not see it. It could also use up our resources unnecessarily. It could mean that confidential company information is disclosed to the wrong person. If you want to copy someone in on a message but don’t want to disclose their address to other recipients of the email, put their email address in the ‘blind copy’ (BCC) list.

13. Email monitoring 

1. We reserve the right to monitor the emails and websites you access at work. We do this to ensure you are in compliance with the law, your employment contract and this policy, as well as other purposes, in the same way a manager may read your business letters and faxes. If you wish to send confidential emails that are not related to your work, you should do so on your own equipment in your own time.

14. Contracts

1. You should have been told by us whether you have authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the organisation. If you do not know, you should ask your line manager. You may be subject to a financial limit above which you may not enter into contracts. You should stick to these rules and limits when ordering or supplying goods or services via email or the internet.

15. Copyright

1. Most information available electronically is protected by copyright in the same way as a book, music or a play. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 sets out the rules and you must be careful not to breach copyright.

2. It is easy to copy material electronically but this does not make it any less of an offence. Our policy is to comply with copyright laws. We do not bend the rules in any way. We do not allow the use of pirated or copied computer software. All software must be licensed. We take this very seriously indeed and have regular audits to check the position.

3. Do not assume that because a document or file is on the internet or our intranet, for example, that it can freely be copied.

4. Copyright and database right law can be complicated. You should speak to your line manager if you are unsure about anything.

5. Much of the information on the internet states what its copyright conditions are, so read these before downloading or copying the information.

16. Data protection 

1. We are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. The eighth principle in the Act restricts those countries to which we can send 'personal data', whether by email or any other means. Personal data is information such as names, addresses or other personal details. Certain data, such as information about a person’s race or religion, is called 'sensitive data' and is subject to even stricter rules. You must take advice from the director of HR, who is our ‘data controller’, before you export personal data.

2. Please refer to the Data Protection policy.

17. Password policy

1. Passwords are a critical part of information and network security. Passwords serve to protect user accounts. However, a poorly chosen password, if compromised, could put the entire network at risk. As a result, you are required to take appropriate steps to ensure that you create strong, secure passwords and keep them safeguarded at all times.

2. The IT department will not disclose or reset passwords for anyone except the owner of the account.

3. If someone demands your password, refer them to this policy or ask them to contact the IT department.

4. If you either know or suspect that your password has been compromised, you must report it to the IT department and change the password immediately

5. Passwords should be treated as confidential information. You should not give, tell or hint at your password to another person under any circumstances. This includes superiors, other co-workers, friends and family members.

6. For further information, please refer to the Password Policy available on the IT department’s intranet site.

18. Personal computers

1. Under no circumstances must a personal (non-Hft) computer be connected to our network/broadband connection. This includes home offices using our broadband connection. This is because these machines may introduce security risks that we cannot monitor.

19. IT equipment purchasing policy

1. All purchase requests for hardware or computer-related components must first be approved by a department head (or designate) before submission to the IT department. Use the IT Purchase Request Form to detail and submit the request. In all cases, the request for purchase must be justified in the space provided on the IT Purchase Request Form (available on the Hft intranet).

2. For further information, please refer to the IT Equipment Purchasing Policy available on the IT department’s intranet site.

20. Software installation policy

1. All new computers (laptops and PCs) will be supplied with our standard desktop software. For detailed information, please see the list of approved software available on the IT department’s intranet site.

2. The IT department expressly forbids installation of the following software:

• privately owned software, with the exception of printers, scanners and cameras with the approval of the IT department

• internet downloads

• pirated copies of any software titles

• any title not listed in this policy.

• any software not installed according to the procedures set out in this policy

• for further information, please refer to the Software Installation Policy on the IT department’s intranet site.

21. Network storage (photos, music, videos)

1. Network storage (for example, My Documents and shared drives) must only be used for storing your documents. This should not include personal files, photographs or videos.

2. Due to the cost of storage, and to ensure that back-ups run smoothly, the IT department does a quarterly audit of all files stored on our network. This includes compressing all photo files (including any documents, such as Word documents or PowerPoint presentations, that contain photos). Therefore, if for any reason you need to keep a photo at its original size, it is recommended that you keep a copy somewhere other than on our network (for example, on a DVD or external hard drive).

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September 2012

Version 7

ICT Usage

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HR Employee Handbook

ICT Usage

HR Employee Handbook

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