By now, the majority of employees at most small businesses will have smartphones, some of them even issued by their companies. So a savvy business owner will have policies in place to prevent liability and misuse of smartphones in the office.
For many businesses, an employee smartphone policy is the right call — it can increase productivity, and it may also save your business from future lawsuits.
Here are a few legal issues you may want to consider for your company’s employee smartphone policy:
Employer-Issued Smartphones
Company phones are becoming more common than company cars. Giving your employees smartphones can be an excellent way to ensure that they can stay connected via email or the Web, even when they’re out of the office.
It may be appealing to your business to issue a pre-loaded smartphone to your new hires with all the business-related apps they might need. But what if they want to add their own?
Aside from the issue of many third-party smartphone apps tracking and collecting all sorts of data, you may also want to prevent your employees from using their company smartphones for personal activities—like Internet dating or taking semi-nude selfies.