The Business April 2008: Employees – freedom or control? (Acceptable Use Policies)
Does your business have an Acceptable Use Policy to control IT use? As well as issues of cost and security, businesses need to think about how much freedom they give their employees.
Do you allow unhindered Internet access? Even for social networking? Do you allow employees access to all data? What is the risk to your business if they leave and take data to a competitor?
Unsurprisingly, different businesses have different standards. Often there are issues about the business culture as well as the IT itself. If you go too far, are you creating a culture where your employees do not feel trusted?
It is a complex issue. One thing is clear though: every business should have an Acceptable Use Policy. Otherwise, how do employees know what is acceptable and what is not? Just as importantly; how do you enforce a policy that doesn’t exist?
