Mobile Phone Usage Policy
09 January 2018There are a variety of reasons why your company needs to develop a mobile phone usage policy. Mobiles are far more than just simple telephone and texting machines. They are powerful mini-computers and have the same risks and challenges associated with them as larger desktops and laptops.
- You may operate a BOYD policy where staff use their own phones to go about their daily business. Here you’ll need to ensure that matters such as online security and responsible usage are the main focus.
- You could supply individual employees with mobiles and want to curtail what they use it for.
- You might be worried about productivity and want to limit how and when staff use their own mobiles while in the workplace.
- You could operate in an area where mobile usage will affect sensitive electrical or diagnostic equipment such as in a hospital.
Mobile Phone Usage Policy
One of the primary reasons you need a strong usage policy is the security element – if an employee is accessing your systems on their mobile phone and they don’t have the relevant security products downloaded, you could be putting your data and your operation at risk.
For those who are simply trying to reduce usage in the workplace, mobiles can obviously distract employees from the job they are supposed to be doing (as well as disturbing those working in the vicinity). In some circumstances, such as driving machinery or fleet vehicles, using a mobile phone can actually be hazardous and illegal.
One of the big issues, and something that increasingly impacts on productivity, is the use of social media. Especially for younger employees, the temptation to check in with Facebook or Twitter can be almost irresistible. For employers, if your staff are continually checking their timelines or searching the internet for information it means they are not concentrating on the work they are being paid to do.
What to Include in a Mobile Usage Policy
You first need to have a clear idea of what you want your policy to achieve. If you’re aim is to reduce usage around the office and improve productivity, the policy could be fairly straight forward, for example, asking employees to switch off their mobiles once they start work and restricting use to certain times such as lunch breaks.
When employees are utilising their own devices to carry out work then there will be restrictions about what they can use the phone for and guidelines concerning their responsibilities with regards to aspects such as personal data. If you are supplying individuals with mobiles specifically for business use, then you may want to include not using the phone for personal matters or only having office software downloaded on the device. There will also issues and best practice for what their responsibilities are if a mobile phone is lost or stolen.
Your mobile usage policy should be clear and concise as possible and state what the obligations and responsibilities are for your employees. It should also be a live document, one which can be reviewed and updated regularly and then communicated to staff.
The truth is that most of us don’t realise we’re doing anything wrong when we get a text or go online to check our social media timelines. It’s second nature. Introducing a phone usage policy has become increasingly important for almost every business. Whether you require a more informed policy that covers aspects like office security and personal responsibilities or simply want to temper use in the workplace and improve productivity, a formal policy lets everyone know where they stand.
If you would like assistance creating a bespoke Mobile Phone Usage Policy for your company let us get it solved! Contact solved hr on 07714 790024 or email info@solvedhr.co.uk