We've just been sent a new e-mail/internet monitoring policy which
allows personal use although that use will be monitored i.e. internet
logs etc. If you have a policy in place and make all staff aware then
there shouldn't be any issues if they are found to have been spending
too much time either e-mailing or on the internet which would probably
mean during working time and not lunch hours etc. The problem is if you
don't - then you can have some Departments allowing it and others not
and that is what causes the problems.
I think it is a good idea that they allow it as it is then up to the
individual whether it is withdrawn or not. Mind you, it would be
difficult to communicate these days without use of e-mail.
Dorene
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jethro R Binks
Sent: 11 April 2007 16:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: European Court of Human Rights: Personal ca lls and
Internet usage from work are (maybe) protected
On Wed, 11 Apr 2007, Tim Turner wrote:
> I'm possibly wearing my Devil's Advocate Hat - why should they (we) be
> allowed to do send personal emails at work? It might be nice, it might
> be useful, it might be more conducive to good employer / employee
> relations, but is it so terrible to refuse to allow staff to send
> personal emails? Is it in any way illegal to do so?
These probably aren't the answers you are looking for.
a/ whatever reasoning probably applies to personal telephone calls,
which
we have had for a lot longer and generally doesn't seem to be an issue;
b/ it seems pointless to have a policy that you probably can't enforce
and
that will be violated
Since Real Life doesn't end at the door to the office, I suspect you
could
make a good argument that some personal use facilies should be made
available somehow; not necessarily from your own desk, but in a certain
room (with a telephone and computer), and maybe accessible in your own
time (breaks and lunch for example). Or some such provision. In
practice, that's a bit tedious to implement, but some places probably
do.
I was once asked whether we could monitor how much time a member of
staff
was spending "on the Internet". I asked why, and they said that they
were
concerned they were spending "too much time". I responded that they
should look at if the person was doing their actual job effectively, and
if so, why are they worrying? And if not, then surely that's reason
enough to speak to them about it, without spying on their activities
first. Whether you agree with that or not, they didn't come back to me,
so I guess they solved their problem some other way and I didn't have to
feel I was doing any dirty work (as it may be perceived - and that was
my
main concern, frankly!).
I'm sure there was some discussion about this somewhere ... was it
possible in the "Monitoring At Work" guidance, or something from the
National Archives?
Jethro.
>
> Tim Turner
> Data Protection / FOI Officer
> Legal and Property Services
> Wigan Council
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Roland Perry
> Sent: Wed 11 April 2007 14:16
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [data-protection] European Court of Human Rights:
Personal
> calls and Internet usage from work are (maybe) protected
>
> In message <[log in to unmask]>, at
> 12:06:10 on Wed, 11 Apr 2007, Ian Welton <[log in to unmask]>
writes
> >Individual levels of freedom as an element of privacy and the
potential
> >contrast/conflict with organisational control/management generally
> >appears clearly in these types of cases.
>
> The aspect I'm most interested in is the ability of the (desk bound)
> employee to be able to send/receive important personal emails while at
work.
> Due regard needs to be given to how much that distracts from their job
(I
> wouldn't expect people to be able to run an eBay auction from
> work) but they should be allowed to do it (rather than it being
absolutely
> banned) and when they do send/receive such emails there should be an
> adequate and reasonable degree of privacy.
> --
> Roland Perry
>
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Jethro R Binks
Computing Officer, IT Services
University Of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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