How to Create a Computer Use Policy
No matter where you are going to end up working, there are bound to be rules and regulations that you have to follow. This is why there are company policies to make sure that just about every employee knows what they should do and what they should not do in the workplace.
In this day and age, it is more important than ever for companies to make sure that their employees are using their computers or laptops for business-related matters only, considering that there are many dangers involving this piece of technology that could potentially harm operations. So, this article is going to focus on how your company can create your own computer usage policy to keep your confidential business data safe. You may also see hr policies.
Computer Use Policy Template
Computer Use Policy Sample
What should your computer use policy cover?
- State that company-owned equipment can be monitored at any time without giving notice to any of the employees. With this, employees will know that they will be caught should they make use of company computers for anything other than business-related purposes, or if they engage in actions using these computers that could potentially harm the company
- Stating the reasons for the policy makes sure that employees do not feel that their right to privacy is being needlessly infringed. While there are many reasons to monitor an employee’s use of the computer, make sure that you mention them in your policy so that your employees will understand why this policy is being implemented
- Define the improper use of company computers to the employees. You want to be specific when you point out what the employees cannot do. For example, you have to clearly state that the employees cannot use the company computers to access social media sites or anything that is unrelated to work during business hours. While it all depends on how lenient or how strict you want to be with this policy, just make sure to clearly state what the employees are not allowed to do.
- To ensure that your employees follow the computer usage policy as well as take it seriously, point out that in the event that an employee manages to break this policy, then the offender will be subjected to the appropriate disciplinary action. You have to be specific with this and point out which violations will require only a warning, and which of these violations will merit an immediate employee termination.
- Since you are pointing out what the employee cannot do with company computers, then you also have to point out how employees should use these computers. For example, if an employee were to go on social media with the company computer, then he or she should only be doing so to communicate with a customer who may have a problem.
Why is it important to have a computer usage policy?
The point of this policy, just like every other that is made, is to protect the company from anyone who may try to cause damage to it. Computer usage is something that has to be monitored carefully as you can use computers to do just about anything now. This means that employees can share confidential company information with competitors and you will be none the wiser if you do not keep them in check.
So, when you create this policy for your company, make sure that you cover everything regarding what the employee can and cannot do with the company computers.
Read up on other modern workplace issues such as how to institute a social media policy by checking the other articles on our website.
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