Employee Email Usage

The Company maintains voice mail, electronic mail, and electronic data storage, processing, and transmission systems that employees may use in the course of their work. All use of Company facilities and equipment is subject to the rules below.

1. All computers and systems located on Company premises or provided by the Company for an employee's use are Company property, and the Company retains the right to retrieve and inspect them at any time. Employees agree to surrender all such property to their supervisor on demand or upon termination of employment. All information stored on or received by any Company device, including mobile phones and computers, is Company property. Employees have no expectation or right of ownership or privacy in information, material, or images contained in any Company computer or other equipment used in the office, on the road, or in a patient's home. Information obtained by an employee from Company equipment or facilities remains Company property even when transferred, downloaded, or stored elsewhere. Employees are specifically prohibited from recording or transferring to any non-Company device any record or information that is Company property or that constitutes confidential patient information.
2. Minimal personal use of email and the internet system is permitted as long as it does not interfere with the timely and appropriate performance of job duties. Employees should not use Company equipment or facilities for any communication or to store any data they consider private. The Company reserves the right to screen all inbound and outbound email content. Messages or attachments containing obscene or otherwise offensive content may be quarantined and held until the sender or recipient can verify the message or attachment is work related. Consistent with the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Company may, in its discretion, review communications to and from a personal account accessed through Company equipment, subject to applicable legal protections such as the attorney-client privilege. An employee who wishes to send a confidential communication, such as a message to a personal attorney, should use a personal email address on personal equipment. An employee who chooses to use Company equipment for such communication consents to monitoring by the Company and should understand that no expectation of privacy applies, to the extent permitted by law.
3. Company facilities and equipment, as well as any employee-owned equipment used for Company business or while on Company property, must not be used in a manner that is disruptive, offensive to others, or harmful to morale. By way of example, sexually explicit images, ethnic slurs, racial epithets, and any other material that could be construed as harassment or disparagement based on race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, or political belief must not be displayed or transmitted.
4. Employees should treat all electronic communications as permanent records that the Company may later retrieve and review. All messages composed on Company computers and systems should be written with the assumption that they may be reviewed by the Company or its designees.
5. All internal email messages should be answered within 24 hours. Staff other than RBTs, BCaBAs, and Behavior Technicians are expected to set an out of office reply during paid time off and unpaid time off.
6. Company management monitors email and internet use. Employees must ensure that Company equipment is used in accordance with Company policy and should consult Human Resources with any questions. The Company retains a copy of every password needed to access Company property, including all data stored on Company property. No employee is authorized to create a password unknown to the Company for the purpose of storing or accessing Company property or information. System security features, including passwords and message-delete functions, do not limit the Company's ability to access any message at any time. Employees should assume that all use of Company equipment is monitored by Company representatives.
7. The use of outside email services or personal email accounts to conduct Company business is not permitted. Any Company-related communication, including messages to patients, prospective patients, funding sources, or fellow employees, must be sent from the Company email address assigned to the employee.
8. Where applicable, email should be sent in plain text format and should not include images, rich text formatting, or HTML in the body of the message.
9. Email should include a signature with the following information: name and credentials, title, Company phone number, fax number where applicable, and the standard confidentiality notice approved by the Company. Field staff who spend at least fifty percent of their time outside the office may, but are not required to, include a Company-issued cellular phone number in the signature. The standard confidentiality notice informs recipients that the message is intended for the named recipient, may contain confidential information, and that any unauthorized disclosure, copying, or distribution is prohibited; recipients who receive a message in error are asked to notify the sender immediately and delete the original.