* Council employees are expected to use Internet, Social Media and E-mail systems effectively and responsibly and in accordance with approved operational and security standards while in the course of their work. Employees equally have a responsibility to ensure that their private use of internet, social Media and e-mail out with the workplace does not impact adversely on the council and its business, compromise their contractual relationship with the council or breach council policy. This policy sets out the expected standards of internet, social media and email use and provides for those standards to be monitored and enforced. The content should be read in conjunction with the relevant employment policies referred to in this document together with other policies and guidance issued by the council’s IT Service, in particular the Data Protection and Information Security Policies.
The key aims of the policy are to: * Regulate and control access to the council’s internet, social media and e-mail system networks; * Promote efficient and effective use of internet, social media and e-mail facilities while allowing reasonable and limited personal use in an employee’s own time; * Set standards for the proper secure and lawful use of internet, social media and e-mail in order to minimise and manage the potential risks to the council from inappropriate and illegal use; * Provide employees with guidance on their responsibilities when accessing the internet via the council networks and when using social media and council email applications.
This policy applies to the use of internet, social media and e-mail in the following circumstances: * Business Use: Use for legitimate council business consistent with the duties and responsibilities of an employee’s post. * Personal Use: Limited personal use at an employee’s place of work out with working hours. * Private Use: Private use out with work in an employee’s own time which may have an impact on the council or on an individual’s employment with the council * You’re a whistle-blower if you’re a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing. This will usually be something you’ve seen at work - though not always. The wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others, e.g. the general public. As a whistle-blower you’re protected by law - you shouldn’t be treated unfairly or lose your job because you ‘blow the whistle’. You can raise your concern at any time about an incident that happened in the past, is happening now or you believed it will happen in the near future. * In practice, an organizational policy is a formal document describing the organization's position on a particular aspect of compliance with regulations, standards, and guidelines. * The information owner is a key player in protecting sensitive data and systems. His or her role must be clearly defined in policies. However, security personnel should review information owner decisions to ensure regulatory and policy compliance.