Glasgow Business . 33 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com


EIR NOTICE Is it socially acceptable?


Between fines and lost revenue, the financial consequences of slack IT security are well publicised. But technology never stands still, and a new – arguably ‘softer’ – threat has arisen, which has moved corporate policy-makers into uncomfortable new territory.


“Social media has gone from


being something that fell some way down the HR department’s priority list to become an absolutely necessary consideration,” said Alan Delaney, a Director in the Employment and Pensions team at law firm Maclay Murray & Spens. “A few years ago, you obviously


“Even an obvious ruse may not


be so obvious to someone who’s never seen it before,” he said. “So educating staff about what should and should not be clicked, downloaded or even visited is extremely important. “Tis shouldn’t be a one-off


exercise, but a regular topic of conversation. Less IT literate employees are an obvious weak point, but it’s just as important to include management and the IT department in any education sessions, as they oſten have a higher level of network access and therefore represent a greater risk.”


had stories about people blogging about how awful their employer was, but those very cut-and- dried examples were just the tip of the iceberg. “It’s now a much wider


reputational issue. Many people have their employment details on their Facebook profile, for example, so they need to understand that everything they say online potentially has


consequences for their employer. “The perils of blurring


professional and private discourse were starkly illustrated recently, by the case of one senior male lawyer who described the LinkedIn photo of a younger female barrister as ‘stunning’. She made a comment to her Twitter followers, and the exchange quickly became very public. The lawyer’s firm was instantly on the back foot, having to defend its reputation in the national press, while the barrister received some pretty vicious attacks online.


“The lesson I think we can all


learn here is that clear, concise IT use policies exist to protect the employee as much as the employer. Explain the rules, tell employees how they’re expected to behave and you’ve got a much higher chance they’ll do it right. If they then breach those rules, damage the organisation’s reputation and you have to take action, you can show a tribunal you’ve done everything you could.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60