COLLINS CONSULTING, Inc. TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM USE POLICY 53-R1
COLLINS CONSULTING, INC. TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM USE POLICY Confidential Collins Consulting, Inc. maintains, as part of its technology platform, a voicemail and electronic mail system. These systems are provided solely to assist in the conduct of business within the company. The Company reserves the right to amend these policies. An employee s or contractor s use of the Company or Client s telephone, E-mail and communication systems constitutes the employee/contractor s agreement to abide by the Company s policies governing the Company or Client communication system as set forth below, or as modified in the future. Employee/contractor understands and acknowledges that he or she has absolutely no expectation of privacy when using the Company and/or Client s communication and/or electronic systems. Access and use of the technology platform shall be governed by the following: 1. The company and/or client owns the hardware and software associated with the technology platform and employees/contractors are not entitled to any privacy rights regarding the use and content of the information transmitted over the platform. 2. Voicemail and the data stored on it are and remain at all times the property of the company. As such, all voicemail and e-mail messages created, sent and received are and remain the property of the company and/or client. 3. The company and/or client reserves the right to retrieve and read any message composed, sent or received. Please note that even when a message is deleted, it is still possible to recreate the message; therefore, ultimate privacy of messages cannot be guaranteed to anyone. 4. Message should be limited to the conduct of business of the company. E-mail or voicemail may not be used for the conduct of personal business. Email and voice mail messages reflect the Company and Client images. They should be composed in a professional manner that is similar to messages sent on Company or Client letterhead. Employees/Contractors should keep in mind that electronic files are subject to discovery and may subsequently used in litigation involving the Company, the Client, or the employee/contractor. Therefore, it is expected that employee/contractor statements in electronic messages and files will reflect favorably on the Company, the Client, and employees/contractors. 5. While e-mail and voicemail may accommodate the use of passwords for security, the reliability of passwords for maintaining confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. You must assume that someone, other than the intended or designated recipient, may read any and all messages. The Company and/or Client reserves the right to retrieve, monitor, or review any messages in the Company or Client E-mail and Electronic Communication system, and may disclose such messages for any purpose without notice to the employee/contractor and without seeking permission of the employee/contractor. Moreover, all passwords must be made known to the company. Passwords not known Technology Platform Use Policy Page 2 of 5 53-R1
to the company may not be used. The reason for this is simple: Your system may need to be accessed by the company when you are absent. 6. Employees/contractors may access only messages, files or programs, whether computerized or not, that they have permission to enter. Unauthorized review, duplication, dissemination, removal, damage, or alteration of files, passwords, computer systems or programs, voicemail messages, or other property of the company, or improper use of information obtained by unauthorized means may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Employees/contractors are expected to respect the confidentiality of messages sent to others. Employees/contractors may not assess or review E-mail or voice-mail messages that are not distributed to them. 7. Employees/contractors may not use E-mail or voice mail systems to solicit for charitable or commercial ventures, or in any way that violates the Company or Client s no solicitation policy. Employees/contractors may not use the systems to proselytize for religious, political or other causes. 8. The LAN administrator will have access to all company computer and electronic equipment, including voicemail, electronic mail and Internet accounts. 9. Voicemail and e-mail messages may not contain content that may be reasonably considered offensive or disruptive to any employee/contractor. Offensive content would include, but would not be limited to, sexual comments or images, racial slurs, gender specific comments or any comments that would offend someone on the basis of his or her age, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, national origin, or disability. 10. Voicemail users should include in their outgoing voicemail message an instruction to leave a non-confidential message. 11. Internet, World Wide Web and Intranet access have been provided to employees/contractors for the benefit of the company and its customers, vendors and suppliers. A. Acceptable uses of the Internet: Employees/contractors accessing the Internet, World Wide Web and/or the company s own Intranet are representing the company when doing so. Accordingly, all such communications should be for professional, business reasons and should not be for personal use. Each employee/contractor is responsible for ensuring that they use their Internet access privilege in an effective, ethical and lawful manner. Chat rooms may be used to conduct official company business or to gain technical or analytical advice. Electronic mail may be used for non-confidential business contacts. B. Unacceptable uses of the Internet: Sending, saving or viewing offensive material is prohibited. Offensive material includes, but is not limited to, sexual comments, jokes or images, racial slurs, gender-specific comments or any comments, jokes or Technology Platform Use Policy Page 3 of 5 53-R1
images that would offend someone on the basis of his or her age, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, physical attributes, sexual preference, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local law. Any use of the Internet, World Wide Web, and/or the company s Intranet to harass or discriminate is unlawful and strictly prohibited by the company. Violators will be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge. 12. Each employee/contractor is responsible for the content of all text, audio, or images that they place or send over the Internet. All messages communicated on the Internet should have the employee s/contractor s identification attached; messages may not be transmitted using someone else s name or under an assumed name. Employees/contractors who wish to express personal opinions on the Internet are encouraged to obtain their own usernames on other Internet systems. 13. To prevent computer viruses from being transmitted through the system, employees/contractors are not authorized to download any software onto their computer or any drive in that computer. Employees/contractors interested in obtaining software from the Internet should contact the LAN administrator. 14. The company and/or client s computers and the data stored on them are and remain at all times the property of the company and/or client. As such, all messages created, sent or retrieved over the Internet or the company and/or client s electronic mail system are the property of the company and/or client. Employees/contractors have no right to privacy as to any information or file transmitted or stored through the company and/or client s computer systems, voicemail, electronic mail, or other technical resources. The company and/or client reserves the right to retrieve and read any message or file. Employees/contractors should be aware that, even when a message is erased or a visit to a Web site is closed, it is still possible to recreate the message or locate the Web site. Accordingly, Internet and electronic mail messages are not private. Furthermore, all communications including text and images may be disclosed to law enforcement or other third parties without prior consent of the sender or the receiver. 15. It is the company s policy to strictly observe all domestic and international copyright laws. In determining whether those laws are applicable to a given circumstance, the company will interpret the rule in favor of the holder of the copyright. Therefore, employees/contractors are prohibited from unauthorized use or dissemination of any copyrighted material in whatever medium that material may appear. 16. Violations of any guidelines listed above may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. In addition, the company may advise appropriate legal officials of any illegal violations. Employees/contractors who observe violations of these electronic communication policies shall notify their immediate supervisor or shall report the violation to the Human Resources Manager. 17. The Company reserves the right to modify or change the policies set forth about (or anywhere else in Handbook) to comply with applicable law, to meet changing circumstances or for any reason. Technology Platform Use Policy Page 4 of 5 53-R1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND AGREEMENT REGARDING COLLINS CONSULTING, INC., TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM USE POLICY I, have received and read a copy of the Collins Consulting, Inc. Technology Platform Use Policy. I have had an opportunity to ask questions regarding this document and all questions have been answered. I agree to abide by this and any subsequent versions of the Policy. I understand that the statements contained in this document, as well as those in other personnel materials which may be issued from time to time, do not create a binding contract and may be revised at any time as deemed appropriate by Collins Consulting, Inc. I further acknowledge that I have no privacy rights, nor expectation that information transmitted by me or to me over any part of the company s technology platform will remain confidential. I am aware that use of the technology platform may be monitored. I also agree to abide by the same code of conduct while using the technology platform of any clients or customers of Collins Consulting, Inc. Consultant Date Technology Platform Use Policy Page 5 of 5 53-R1