HAVE you ever asked why your company needs to go to the time and trouble of preparing a comprehensive and clear email and internet policy?

If so, then read on… In today’s work environment most employees have computers with access to the internet and emails. In most cases, it is a crucial part of the currency of the job.

However, do you know exactly what your employees are doing when they are sitting behind their screens?

By not having a clearly defined email/internet/computer policy there are various risks that can affect your business. For example: do your employees have access to sites such as YouTube, Ebay, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Bebo? If so, do you restrict the amount of time they can spend on those sites?

If not, have you considered the loss of productivity time to your business? Do you have a policy dealing with the downloading of inappropriate text or images? If not, you could be leaving yourself open to claims including harassment and discrimination (and prosecution). Do you allow your employees to run their own software such as games, music or films on the company’s computer? If you do, you could be allowing viruses to get into your computer network.

Do you allow ipods, USB pens and MP3 players to be plugged into the company’s computer? If so, are any such devices encrypted? Think about it: they can store, not only music, but also confidential information such as details of clients, sales figures and financial reports.

Should this information get lost or stolen, a company may well also be in breach of the Data Protection Act. Also, by allowing such software and devices to be used you are leaving your computer network vulnerable to viruses.

Therefore a comprehensive policy is absolutely vital. Not only could it enhance productivity and protect confidential information, it could also prevent breaches of the Data Protection Act, stops viruses from entering a computer network and may protect you from harassment and/or other claims in an employment tribunal. So next time you ask yourself why your company needs an internet and email policy you know the answer.

Don’t delay – act now unless you want to see your company’s name as headlines in the media for all the wrong reasons!

* Gillian Markland is head of employment law at Ingrams Solicitors.