HR managers in any part of the country can adapt this Model Policy for use at their own workplace.

HOW TO USE THE TOOL

Here’s a Model Policy you can use to prevent perhaps the most common form of employee time theft—use of company computers and internet during work hours to carry out social networking and other personal activities

The purpose of this Policy is to outline acceptable and unacceptable use of any computer equipment and other technology by all employees of XYZ Firm (the “Firm”). These rules and restrictions herein are in place for the protection of all employees and the Firm.

1. Scope
   1. Who This Policy Covers: This Policy applies to all permanent, probationary and temporary employees; contractors; consultants; and other workers at the Firm, collectively referred to as “employees.”
   2. What This Policy Covers: For purposes of this Policy, “social networking” refers to online interactions with individuals of common interests via chat, messaging, video, file sharing, blogs, texting, Twitter messaging, email, discussion groups and other methods on external social networks, including but not limited to sites open to all web users such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

1. Firm Owns Computer Equipment

All equipment and technology purchased or leased by the Firm (regardless of its location) that is accessed by its employees, including without limitation, computers, internet access, PDA, is intended for work-related use only. Employees may not use any Firm equipment or technology for personal purposes, including, but not limited to, maintaining, accessing or using a personal blog or social networking website.

1. Limitation on Use of Computers for Personal Reasons

While at the workplace during work hours, employees are expected to work. While some limited use of Firm computers by employees to handle personal matters is neither unexpected nor unreasonable, employees may not use Firm computers for blogs, social networking, and other personal activity during work hours for more than 10 minutes per day.

1. Monitoring of Computer Use

Be advised that the Firm intends to strictly enforce this 10 minutes per day Policy.

To that end, the Firm reserves the right, at its sole discretion and at any time, to monitor and access all employee computer files and emails for purposes of security and network maintenance and to ensure compliance with this Computer Use Policy. The Firm also reserves the right to store emails that pass into or out of its systems and may review emails and disclose their content to third parties with or without notice to employees.

1. Firm Computers Are NOT Private

Although laptops and other computer equipment may be assigned individual accounts and protected by passwords and other security measures, employees are reminded that they have NO right to expect privacy in the data stored on, received in or transmitted from Firm computers, Internet accounts, emails, etc.

1. Discipline & Enforcement

Failure of employees to keep their personal use of Firm computers to 10 minutes per day or less will be deemed theft of time, a serious employment offence that may result in discipline up to and including termination, in accordance with the Firm’s progressive discipline procedures and policies.

1. Acknowledgement

I hereby acknowledge that I have received, read and understood this Policy and promise not only to follow it in all key respects but also help to enforce it by reporting to my supervisor or the Firm HR Department any or potential violations committed by other persons that I become aware of.

Signed: ________________________                 President/CEO Date: ___________________________

The ABC Company Computer Use Policy should be consulted whenever there are concerns about computer use in the workplace.