ENG315 Assignment 1

To: All Employees

From: Director of IT

Subject: Reminder: Company policy on acceptable use of email and text messaging all,

As the size of our company grows I wanted to take a minute to refresh you on the Company acceptable use policy for email and text messaging. This policy is not meant to limit or censor your email and texting but to provide a guideline of appropriate use. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the proper use of the email, so all employees are aware of what is deemed as acceptable, and unacceptable.

Overview

· Email is primarily to be used for Company business only. Company confidential information must not be shared outside of the Company, without authorization, at any time. You are also not to conduct personal business using the Company computer, Company cellular phones and email.

· Viewing pornography, or sending pornographic jokes or stories via email and text messaging, is considered sexual harassment and will be addressed according to our sexual harassment policy.

· All employees need to be aware that the employing organization can monitor the use of email.

· Email and Text messaging is a corporate communication business tool, and email and Text communications should be in a suitable professional manner, appropriate to the organization and working of the team.

· At all times when you leave your workstation you must ‘lock’ the computer to stop other unauthorized individuals gaining access to your email.

· Any emails that discriminate against employees by virtue of any protected classification including race, gender, nationality, religion, and so forth, will be dealt with according to the harassment policy.

Please keep this in mind, also, as you consider forwarding non-business emails and text messaging to associates, family or friends. Non-business related emails and text messaging waste company time and attention.

Do’s

✓ Do check your electronic mail daily to see if you have any messages.

✓ Do take care not to express views, which could be regarded as defamatory or libelous.

✓ Do check the address line before sending a message and check you are sending it to the right person.

Don’ts

× Do not print electronic mail messages unless absolutely necessary

× Do not send excessively large electronic mail messages or attachments.

These emails are prohibited at the Company. Sending or forwarding non-business emails will result in disciplinary action that may lead to employment termination.

Please note the following

1. All electronic mail activity is monitored and logged.

2. All electronic mail coming into or leaving the Organization is scanned for viruses.

3. All the content of electronic mail is scanned for offensive material.

Email and Text messaging usage assigned to an employee's computer or telephone extensions are solely for the purpose of conducting Company business. Some job responsibilities at the Company require access to the email and the use of software in addition to the Microsoft.

Removing such programs from the Company network requires IT staff to invest time and attention that is better devoted to progress. For this reason, and to assure the use of work time appropriately for work, we ask staff members to limit email and text messaging use.

Keep in mind that the Company owns any communication sent via email or that is stored on company equipment. Management and other authorized staff have the right to access any material in your email or on your computer at any time. Please do not consider your electronic communication, storage or access to be private if it is created or stored at work.

This is not the totality of the policy but just a few of the things to remember. Please take the time to review the whole policy and sign the acknowledgement that you have read it.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask myself or your manager.

Sincerely Yours,

Guillermo A. Hernandez

IT Director

References:

Blyler and Thralls, Professional Communication: The Social Perspective, (pp. 197-198).

Lehman/Dufrene, (2010) “Professional Communications” Communicating Electronically, (pp. 74-87).