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SAMPLE POLICY ON THE USE OF COMPANY EQUIPMENT,
THE INTERNET, COMPUTERS, SOLICITATION AND BULLETIN BOARDS
Use of Equipment
All Company property – including desks, storage areas, work areas, lockers, file cabinets,
credenzas, computer systems, office telephones, cellular telephones, modems, facsimile
machines, duplicating machines, copying machines and vehicles – must be used properly and
maintained in good working order. Employees who lose, steal, or misuse Company property
may be personally liable for replacing or repairing the item.
The Company reserves the right, at all times and without further notice, to inspect and
search all Company property for the purpose of determining whether this policy or any other
policy of the Company has been violated, or when an inspection and investigation is necessary
for purposes of promoting safety in the workplace or compliance with state and federal laws.
These inspections may be conducted during or outside of business hours and in the presence or
absence of the affected employee.
To protect the Company’s legitimate business interests, the Company reserves the right to
question and inspect or search any employee or other individual entering or leaving Company
premises, with or without notice. The inspection or search may include any packages or items
that the individual may be carrying, including briefcases, handbags, knapsacks, shopping bags, et
cetera. The individual may be requested to display the contents of any packages and/or turn out
his or her pockets, et cetera, in the presence of a representative of the Company, typically a
management employee of the same gender.
Whether information is entered or sent during or outside of working time, employees
have no right of privacy as to any information or file maintained in or on Company property or
transmitted or stored through Company computer systems, voice mail, e-mail or other technical
resources. If, during the course of your employment, you perform or transmit work on Company
computer systems or other technical resources, your work may be subject to the investigation,
search and review of others in accordance with this policy. In addition, any electronically stored
communications that you either send to or receive from others may be retrieved and reviewed
when doing so serves the legitimate business interests and obligations of the Company.
Employees should use the computer systems only for business purposes. Using e-mail or
the Internet for personal, non-business, purposes is prohibited during working time (as that term
is defined in the Solicitation/Distribution of Literature section below).
Employees may access only electronic files or programs that they have permission to
enter. Unauthorized copying or use of computer software exposes both the Company and the
individual employee to substantial fines and/or imprisonment. Therefore, employees may not
load personal software onto the Company’s computer system, and may not copy software from
the Company for personal use. All employees must contact the (insert title of appropriate
Company representative) to install any software on the Company’s computer system.