Equipment use policy
Purpose
The company provides equipment, tools and resources to employees to enable them to perform their duties. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the proper use of such equipment, tools and resources to prevent unnecessary loss and/or excessive cost on maintenance expenditure to the Company.
Application
This policy applies to all New Media Labs Services (Pty) Ltd, hereinafter referred to as "the Company," employees.
Definitions
| Company property | All equipment and tools supplied by the Company |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Laptops, screens, tablets, adapters, cables, and/or desktops |
| Tools | Phones (cellular and landline), printers, scanners, photocopiers, desks, credenzas, company cards, storage areas and/or working areas |
| Resources | Software, internet access, e-mail, and/or applications |
| Usage | Employee use of employer-provided equipment, tools and resources |
Company property and resources always remain the property of the Company. As such, all messages created, sent or retrieved over the Internet or the Company's electronic mail system are the property of the Company, and should be considered public information.
Company responsibilities
- To ensure that employees are aware of policies related to the use of equipment, tools and resources, and;
- To monitor usage of such equipment, tools and resources from time to time.
Employee responsibilities
- To exercise the utmost care when using Company equipment, tools and resources;
- To inform the Office Manager when removing equipment or tools from Company premises;
- To ensure all Company property is transported, used and/or stored in a safe and secure manner once removed from Company premises;
- To advise the Office Manager of any problems with company property as it arises, and;
- To ensure that no person, except a Company employee or an individual authorized by the Company, makes use of Company equipment, tools and resources.
- Any employee who is found to have neglected or misused Company property will be subject to disciplinary action. The Company reserves the right to require such an employee to pay all or part of the cost to repair or replace lost or damaged Company property.
Authorized use
The equipment, tools and resources made available by the Company are for use directly concerned with the business of the Company.
The company accepts that from time to time both the internet and e-mail facilities will be used for personal use, however, it is expected that such use be conducted in the employee's own time (lunch breaks). However, in all cases the Company reserves the right to act should the use of any of its business systems become abusive or excessive.
Unauthorized use
The Company will not tolerate the use of its equipment, tools and/or resources for any of the following:
- The distribution of any message or similar that could constitute bullying, harassment, discrimination or could be perceived by a reasonable third party as being offensive (e.g. on the grounds of sex, race, sexuality, religion, or disability);
- The use of email to send e.g. explicit language, offensive images, pornography, executable files or chain letters;
- Gaining unauthorized access to a computer system;
- Spreading viruses with the intent to cause harm;
- Sending, requesting or holding pornographic material or games - it is recognised that you may unknowingly receive unsolicited pornographic material or games; however, you must immediately notify the Office Manager/Head of Operations who will remove it;
- Printing of documents which are unrelated to the business of the Company;
- Downloading, printing or distributing copyright material and/or information and/or any software available to the user without authorisation from the Company. This includes shareware/freeware software. If downloading such material or any other activity results in a binding contract being created with consequences for the Company, the employee will be personally liable and will also be subject to disciplinary proceedings
- Posting or sending, to unauthorised recipients, confidential information about the Company, its employees, its clients or suppliers.
This list is not exhaustive. If the employee is in doubt as to what is acceptable or not, they should contact the Office Manager for guidance, as a result of which the Company will make a determination with which the employee agrees in advance to abide.
All employees should note that if they cause the Company to breach the Protection of Personal Information Act ("POPI"), liability of the employee and the Company may result.
Monitoring
The Company reserves the right to monitor at any time any communications that use Company networks in any way, including, but not limited to, data, voice mail, telephone logs, internet use and network traffic, to determine proper use.