Nowadays we cannot imagine a workplace without Internet and e-mailing. Besides the countless benefits of these tools, the use of digital technology also carries significant risks for employers. Given that the Hungarian labour law is left behind by the faster-than-light developing new digital word, employers have to keep the pace in order to avoid future labour disputes. In this short article we tell you the five most important reasons why your company should have an Internet and E-mail policy.

  1. Possibility to monitor

Have you ever faced the situation that an employee has quitted the company and you would need data that his e-mails contain? Good luck to read his e-mails without a policy which clearly prescribes that work e-mail can only be used for business purposes.

If you do not have such a policy you can be liable for privacy infringement as it can happen that your ex-employee used the work e-mail system to disclose personal information with his very best friend or partner.

And you know, ex-employees are often sensitive to their privacy, especially if they were terminated against their will.

In the meantime if you have a policy which clearly states that e-mail can only be used for business purposes, it gives you the opportunity to monitor messages to ensure that you can get every data that you need without violating your staff' rights to personal information.

  1. Preserve reputation

Your employee is an active user of the social media, where he does not only shares his workplace information with everyone but also his political view or disputable opinion about certain things. On a sunshiny day he posts on Facebook what a miserable service his workplace provides. Or on the other day Mr. Perfect Employee accidently sends an e-mail with an inappropriate joke to a customer that he intended to send his friend.

You sure have an idea about how much damage to your company's reputation such actions can cause ...

That is why you need a policy that informs employees that posting work-related information to social media is only possible with your consent (eg. posting articles to LinkedIn).

Furthermore if the e-mail policy does not allow using the work e-mail system for personal purposes, your staff will remain in a professional mindset and eliminate the potential of personal e-mails going out to customers.

  1. Protection of data

Many companies deal with confidential information like customer names, phone numbers or even sensitive information. A single click on a video about a funny cat can result in viruses or unwanted software that gets installed on your computer.

These programs also called malware are the perfect tools for criminals to steal confidential business information or personal information of your customers.

An effective Internet policy will prohibit Ms. Cat Lover to open or download the funny videos to the company devices mitigating the risk of hackers collecting valuable and strictly confidential company or customer data.

In addition, in order to prevent data theft from unprotected PCs, you can prohibit your employees to store company related information on their personal devices.

  1. Security

Downloading pictures, music or other files to company devices may not only result in stealing company data, but can also cause the company's systems to crash. Imagine the financial loss that you can suffer because your system does not work for twenty-four hours.

As a far-sighted employer you should have an Internet usage policy which prohibits employees from viewing certain sites, such as those involving pornography, online gambling, and so on. It is also advisable to prohibit employees from downloading software, streaming movies, or using certain types of online shareware.

  1. Productivity

Mr. Perfect Employee starts his workday with reading his favourite blogs, then a little Facebook before lunch, and during the day he sends some funny videos to his co-workers. These kind of employees are not performing the function for which they are paid, not to mention that they can distract their colleagues as well.

If your Internet and e-mail policy prohibits to visit webpages or to use the work e-mail for personal purposes, your employees will stay on task more and avoid the distraction that come from reading not work-related websites or sending and receiving personal e-mails during work hours.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.