The Importance of a Tech Policy in your Workplace

Creative Talk this month talks with Louise Lawton from The Creative Store about the importance of a tech policy in your workplace.

Does your company have a tech policy in place?  If you don’t, then I recommend that you have one implemented.

Mobile phone, social media, internet usage – is costing employers hours and hours of unproductive time each year through employees using work time as their own online social time.

In today’s work environment, many staff are required to be online, using social as a connector for their day to day work – but where do you draw the line. Or do you need to?

Gen Y, Gen Z and Millennials live on their phone, to cut them off completely would highly likely make them less productive.

Whatever you decide, you should have a tech policy in place to project your brand and business.  Your staff need to know your stance on tech usage and social media in the work environment, be clear on the facts and expectations.

The rules on what you can and can’t say on social media platforms are changing and being challenged in court all the time by employers and employees.  Having a clearly defined tech policy as part of their employment contract will allow you to action if required, especially for the staff who flout the rules.

Be clear with your tech and social media guidelines.  Whether you issue the can and can’t do rules when new staff join the company – or as a team refresher.

Are they allowed to contribute / tag the company Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Are they allowed to mention the company on their personal social media pages? What about photos from the Christmas party? Someone at work is giving them a hard time, can they moan about them on their personal pages?

If you have armed some of your employees with the job of being the company social media expert, then please make sure they are knowledgeable, not just across social content, but in online social etiquette and your company policies. They will be the voice of your brand and company.  If you want to come across as bright and smart – then so should the person writing it.

Big brother is out there. Lots of companies are also watch their staff online.  I think if you do this, you should be open with staff about the company policy.  Make your staff clear that you are viewing incoming and outgoing emails, have keyword monitoring, counting their internet usage.  You will have some employees working for you who have no regard for rules and use their work time to booking personal appointments, their travel, check their social media 20 times a day etc. This can easily take 6 – 8 hours out of their working week – that you are paying for.

Of course, you don’t want to rule with an iron fist – but hey this is business and you do need to consider where your threshold is.  Allowing staff time out is of course a legal requirement they are entitled to, perhaps this is taken into consider as part of their daily social media / online activities? Giving them online time out during the day might make them work better?  If they feel connected throughout the day with the news, friends, partners – will this make them more productive?

Whatever you decide, look and listen – see what is going on in your work environment.  Be open, be honest, be prepared.