How to prevent the internet from harming the productivity of employees and teams without having to deprive them of internet access, so important to follow news? Is an Internet use ethics manual sufficient? This is a dilemma that most team organizations and managers and IT currently face.
It is a natural employee connected to the internet, surfing websites with no relationship with the professional activity they perform. In addition to representing financial loss to the company, for the waste of time and the use of technology and internet resources, the consumed band can compromise the speed of the internet and activities of the rest of the team, which ends up resulting in double loss to the employer.
But how to treat this situation? Preventing internet browsing is not a recommended practice as it is virtually impossible for a company and its employees are disconnected. On the other hand, releasing unlimited access to any website or online service can be risks, generating problems or compromising team performance and company information security .
Therefore, a good alternative is in the elaboration of rules for the use of the internet in the company, through a manual . This document will help adapt behaviors, practices and actions of all employees, safeguarding the company against possible setbacks.
The big challenge, however, is to find the balance between the defense of the company's interests and respect for the privacy of employees. To prevent abuse from both parties from occurring, the ideal is that the manual will be prepared by a committee composed of representatives from various areas of the company. Thus, it is possible to have a collective authorship document and with the participation of the users themselves.
The work of elaboration and application of the Ethics Manual and good use of the internet at work should be done in stages , which can be:
Step 1: Team/Commission Definition Responsible
Participation should be encouraged by the company's management, with the sending of suggestions and needs by employees from all areas and sectors. Those responsible should be from different areas of the company, and the participation of human resources and information technology sector is indispensable. This prevents rules errors and possible blockages in areas that need access released to perform their work, for example.
Step 2: Definition of Rules and Access Policy
Those responsible for the preparation of the manual, following the guidelines of the HR and IT manager, should define what the Internet access rules will be, what types of content and websites can be accessed and which will be blocked. The suggestion is to maintain balance and flexibility between the needs of the company and employees.
For example, set times for access to certain sites such as social networks , messages and email . It is also recommended to create user groups, with rules according to their needs and activity profile, for example, the press, communication and marketing sectors can have broader access to social networks and the administrative sector to technical content on the area of accounting and administrative.
Step 3: Elaboration of the Manual
The document must present the following points:
- Permitted uses for the internet and corporate email;
- Forbidden practices and access rules, detailing what cannot be accessed;
- Warning for the possibility of monitoring employee navigation;
- Proper ways to mention or publish company photos on social networks and websites;
- Rights of employees regarding privacy;
- Sanctions and penalties for those who fail to comply with the rules established in the manual;
- Types of devices that can be used on the company's premises;
Step 4: Preparation of document with policy to use the company's technology
By implementing an Internet access management policy and technology resources use, it is necessary for the company to formalize this procedure and inform employees. For this it is important to create a document that details the rules and conditions of use of the internet and technology equipment, inform the penalties in case of non -compliance with the rules and formalize the knowledge of the professional in relation to the company's policy.
internet use policy document to your business model . It is important for employees to sign this document proving their science, thus safeguarding the company in the event of some argument or problems with privacy invasion.
Step 5: Definition of tool for control and monitoring
For the good use policy to be implemented and operate properly, it is essential to use some service to control and monitor internet access. Through this tool the access rules defined in the manual should be implemented and it is also possible to monitor the navigation of your employees.
Through reports and access and navigation charts it is possible to verify that the rules are being followed by employees and use this information to prove misuse and justify the sanctions and penalties provided for in the manual.
There are numerous alternatives of tools and services for internet access management, from local Linux servers and proxy/firewall services, personalized solutions such as Sonicwall , Fortinet Fortigate and many others, control programs to be installed on cloud -based more modern solutions such as Open DNS and Lumiun .
You can see more information on the theme in the Internet Access Control Guide to companies .
Step 6: Disclosure of the Manual
All employees must receive a copy of the manual. If possible, the company must organize an activity in which the document will be presented, defining the date that comes into force the policy described in the manual. This moment may be the beginning of the awareness campaign about the responsible use of the internet in the corporate environment. The company will create the conditions for the manual to be available at any time via the internet, in murals or in the human resources sector.
Step 7: Guidance and Training
The document with the policy of use of the Internet should integrate the material received by all new employees, along with the appropriate guidelines regarding the conditions and rules of use of the internet and technology resources in the company. It is up to the Human Resources sector to highlight the importance of compliance with the rules established in the manual.
The application of the manual should be the target of permanent campaigns by the company. The HR sector plays a key role in the dissemination of the company's technology responsible culture of the company, not just the internet. Themes such as downloading pirate material, dissemination of pornographic content or crimes related to the digital environment should be part of seminars, courses and training activities for employees.
Step 8: Sanctions and Penalties
The objective of implementing a policy of good use of the Internet should not be punishing employees , but creating the responsible use culture of technology. Therefore, it is not advisable to apply sanctions abruptly. During an adaptation period, it is recommended to inform employees if they are not complying with the rules provided for in the manual. If the practice of misuse proves to be recurring, the company must then apply the planned sanctions and penalties.
Extra Tip: Home Office Employees
The changes brought by the pandemic around the world were great. In companies, the main one was the adoption of remote teams, working at home to avoid contagion of the virus.
Many company identified improvements in results and adopted this work modality permanently to part or the whole team. However, this favorable scenario was not seen by all. Many still have problems with productivity and security of business data due to lack of control in home office . This is why it is interesting to bring the conscious and safe use policies of the Internet also to the residential environment of employees.
Company Access and Remote Control Tools can play an important role for the company's internet use policy to be maintained.
To finish
Company and employees have responsibilities and rights when it comes to using the internet and technology. Clarify each other's roles and promote good use of technology generates benefits to all parts. The proper elaboration of an Internet use policy and a manual for its documentation must have as its purpose the formation of a corporate culture, in order to benefit all involved, employees becoming more productive and the company improving their results.
If in your company there are problems related to the inappropriate use of the internet by employees, I hope this article has helped you in some way.
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