2.2 If employees or Board Members wish to use mobile telephones or data devices provided by the Group for personal use they may opt to either:

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1 POLICY Use of Electronic Communication Systems Date: July Policy Statement 1.1 This policy aims to inform staff of The Housing Plus Group s views on use of its telephone systems, mobile phones, mobile data devices (such as PDAs), and Internet systems, and should be read in conjunction with the ICT Systems and Security Policy which covers the purchase / disposal of equipment, System access, security, viruses and passwords. 1.2 The use of hand-held mobile phones and devices whilst driving a vehicle is subject to legislation which specifically prohibits their use, with specified penalties including point endorsements on your licence and fines. A hand-held device is defined as something that is or must be held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call or performing any other interactive communication function and therefore includes laptops, mobile telephones, and PDAs, as well as other devices. 1.3 All breaches of this Policy are subject to the Group s disciplinary procedure. 2. Telephones (General) 2.1 The use of the Group s telephone systems for personal calls or personal text messaging is permitted in emergency or urgent situations. At the request of a Senior Manager and for investigatory purposes only, ICT staff are able to obtain a record of outgoing calls from individual telephones. 2.2 If employees or Board Members wish to use mobile telephones or data devices provided by the Group for personal use they may opt to either: a. Highlight personal usage on the bill and reimburse the Group accordingly; or, b. A salary sacrifice to cover the estimated private usage in a year. The amount of salary sacrifice will be at least 100 per year but may increase by 100 increments depending on the amount of usage expected Where users choose the salary sacrifice option, any sign of abuse (for example, charges being in excess of the estimate) may result in private use being removed and action taken to recover any additional costs. 2.3 The Group may also prohibit use of certain types of telephone numbers e.g. premium rate and international. 2.4 The Group reserves the right, through senior management, to access the telephone records of any member of staff s company telephone without prior notice for investigatory purposes. Any excessive, premium rate or international usage will be questioned and action taken to recover the costs of the calls or texts. Page 1 of 6

2 3. Mobile Devices (including Mobile Telephones) 3.1 To ensure compliance with legislation and also with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, employees are not allowed to use a corporate or personal hand-held mobile phone/device whilst driving any vehicle in the course of their work. Hands-free mobile devices are still distracting and people still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of a vehicle, with the penalties being the same. 3.2 Employees using a hand-held mobile device for any reason (for example making or receiving a telephone call, accessing the internet or sending or reading a text, or multimedia message), should do so at a convenient break in their journey. The vehicle must be stopped in a safe and legal area with the engine turned off in order to use a hand-held mobile device. Using a hand held mobile device whilst stationary in traffic or at traffic lights does constitute an offence. 3.3 Any penalties that may be incurred through illegal use of hand-held mobile phones/devices will be payable by the employee. 3.4 Anyone calling a mobile phone also has a duty to bear in mind the nature of the legislation and if it is apparent that the person you have called is driving without a handsfree device, then you should tell them that you will ring them back later and terminate the call. 3.5 Employees are responsible for the security of mobile devices provided by the Group and ensuring that data on the Group s systems and access to those systems remains secure at all times. Data held on the device must not be disclosed to anyone outside of the organisation. Mobile devices must not be left unattended, at any time, in employee s vehicles or customer s property. 3.6 The cost of providing employees with mobile devices is significant. They should be taken care of and any loss or damage should be reported to the ICT Department and their line manager at the earliest convenience. With any instances of damage or loss as a result if negligence, employees will be requested to contribute to the cost of replacement. 3.7 It is the employee s responsibility to ensure the devices are charged up and ready for use in working hours. 3.8 On termination of employment, devices must be returned back to the ICT Department for re-allocation 3.9 All breaches of this Policy are subject to the Group s disciplinary procedure. 4. Internet and Usage 4.1 The content and volume of internet and activity on an individual basis may be monitored in accordance with the Employee Monitoring Policy. 4.2 Whilst it is recognised that is an effective means of disseminating information quickly and widely, the Group does not encourage information overload, nor should e- mail be seen as a preference to face to face contact or to communicate messages which would be better relayed in person. Page 2 of 6

3 4.3 All personal use of and Internet should take place outside working hours, and should be kept to a reasonable level and should in no way infringe upon either the individual s or the Group s ability to conduct their/its business. 4.4 All transmitted through the Group s systems carries one of several domain names registered by the Group (for example: or and thus should not include content which may bring the reputation of the Group into question s should be considered in the same way as any other means of communication and, therefore, they are subject to the same constraints regarding transmitting personal information, use of defamatory or inaccurate comments, breach of confidentiality or terms of contracts. 4.6 The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 applies to both documents and software on the Intranet and any downloads should be authorised under this Act. 4.7 The Group s systems automatically monitor the content and volume of Internet and e- mail traffic. Systems will automatically notify the IT department of instances where either content or volume is deemed to be inappropriate. For example, content of a racial, sexual, indecent or otherwise offensive nature or which is in any way a breach of the Group s Equal Opportunities Policy. In addition, s that are likely to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety. These examples are not an exhaustive list. 4.8 The accessing/downloading/buying and sending/forwarding of such content, either internally or externally, is prohibited and may constitute gross misconduct under the Disciplinary Procedure. 4.9 Any employee who receives an containing such content should either delete the immediately or report it to the IT Section The size of attachments are not restricted due to business need. However, staff are asked to be mindful of the system requirements for large attachments, e.g. photographs, and limit their personal use In instances of staff absence, the Group reserves the right to access individual s IT records and systems in the interests of the performance of Group business. Staff should be aware that any personal s may also be accessed; however, care will be taken not to open s which are obviously personal. The ICT department will only action such requests upon receipt of a request from the relevant manager to the helpdesk. ICT staff found to be accessing s without the necessary authorisation will be subject to the Group s disciplinary procedure All breaches of this Policy are subject to the Group s disciplinary procedure. 5. Internet Usage Outside of Work 5.1 The Housing Plus Group respects your right to a private life. However, we must also ensure that confidentiality and our reputation are protected. If you use social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace either in the office during a lunch break or at home, we require that you: - refrain from identifying yourself as working for the Group; Page 3 of 6

4 - do not conduct yourself in a way that is detrimental to the Group; and - take care not to allow your interaction on these websites to damage working relationships between other members of staff and clients of the Group. 5.2 Items 4.3 onwards applies to use of electronic communication outside of work All breaches of this Policy are subject to the Group s disciplinary procedure Page 4 of 6

5 Policy Data Risk Assessment Resident Consultation Issues for Equality and Diversity Associated Policies and Procedures As long as the policy and procedures are followed correctly, the risks should remain low. Failure to do so could result in a high risk. Not required. An Equalities Impact Needs Assessment has been undertaken for this policy. Access to Information Policy ICT Systems and Security Policy. Confidentiality Policy Single Equalities Statement Employee Code of Conduct Board Member Code of Conduct Associated Documents / Leaflets Policy Type Commissioner s Code of Practice on Monitoring at Work Guidance for Staff using Laptops with Mobile Internet Connection Business Support Responsibility Director Manager Reporting Director of Finance Head of ICT and Business Excellence As issues arise Policy Creation Date March 2007 Review Period Three Years Previous Dates Review September 2009, May 2011 Review Committee HR&R Committee Page 5 of 6

6 Version Number 1.2 Date Last Amended September 2010 Amendments 09/09 Modified to merge with draft PDA usage policy and to remove repetition. Clarified how it complements the ICT Systems and Security Policy 06/10 Modified to include references to social networking sites 05/11 Section on use of work mobile telephones/data devices for personal use and recovering costs added Authorised By HR & R Committee Review Date July 2014 Page 6 of 6