Internet & Emails
Internet Access
Access to the Internet is given principally for work-related activities or approved educational/training activities. Incidental and occasional personal use and study use is permitted. This privilege should not be abused and must not affect the employee’s performance of employment-related activities.
Right to Monitor
The Company email and Internet system is always the property of the Company. By accessing the Internet, Intranet and electronic mail services through facilities provided by the Company, employees acknowledge that the Company (by itself or through its Internet Service Provider) may from time-to-time monitor, log and gather statistics on employee Internet activity and may examine all individual connections and communications. Please note that the Company uses email filters to block spam and computer viruses. These filters may from time-to-time block legitimate email messages.
Responsibilities and Obligations
Employees may not access, download, or distribute material that is illegal, or which others may find offensive or objectionable, such as material that is pornographic, discriminatory, harassing, or an incitement to violence.
Employees must respect and comply with copyright, trademark, and similar laws, and use such protected information in compliance with applicable legal standards. When using web-based sources for information and documentation, appropriate attribution and citation for those websites should be given. Software applications must not be downloaded from the Internet without the prior approval of qualified persons within the Company.
Violation of this Policy
In all circumstances, use of Internet access and email systems must be consistent with the law and Company policies. Violation of this policy is a serious offense and subject to the requirements of the law, may result in a range of sanctions, from restriction of access to electronic communication facilities to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
The email system is the property of the Company. All emails are archived on the server in accordance with our records retention policy, and all emails are subject to review by the Company. Employees may make limited use of our email system for matters involving personal business, so long as such use is kept to a minimum and does not interfere with work.
The Company email system is subject to monitoring. System monitoring is done for employee protection and the protection of the rights or property of the provider of these services. Please consider this when conducting personal business using Company hardware and software.
Electronic mail is like any other form of Company communication and may not be used for harassment or other unlawful purposes. Email accounts are a Company-provided privilege and are Company property. Remember that when sending email from the Company domain, that email represents the Company whether the message is business-related or personal.
Confidentiality of Electronic Mail
As noted above, electronic mail is always subject to monitoring, and the release of specific information is subject to applicable laws and Company rules, policies and procedures on confidentiality. Existing rules, policies and procedures governing the sharing of confidential information also apply to the sharing of information via commercial software.
Social Media
The term “social media” includes all means of communicating or posting information or content of any sort on the Internet, including to someone else’s personal web log or blog, journal or diary, personal website, social networking or affinity website, web bulletin board, or a chat room, whether or not associated or affiliated with the Company, as well as any other form of electronic communication. The same principles and guidelines found in the Company rules, policies and procedures apply to an employee’s social media activities online.
Any conduct that adversely affects an employee’s job performance or the performance of fellow employees, or otherwise adversely affects the Company’s legitimate business interests, may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Similarly, inappropriate postings, including but not limited to discriminatory remarks, harassment, and threats of violence or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct will not be tolerated and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. However, this restriction will not apply to any postings made in the exercise of any rights granted to an employee by federal law.