On a regular basis, I deal with small businesses that, most of the time seem to have it all together. I do some small business consulting in the context of how to use technology, but recently get many questions on general small business issues. One such issue dealt with some inappropriate material that was found on a 3rd party site. If your firm doesn’t have a Technology Use Policy in place for the areas of the office and the web which the employees have access to, you are asking for trouble.
The Policy should include specifics about how the company equipment and email can be used, what it can store, and what actions will be taken if the Policy is broken. I once worked at a company that would not allow anything but the default Windows Xp screen saver to be displayed, so as not to have to make a decision on personal photos that may or may not be offensive. Do you allow your employees to fax personal items…maybe it is time to spell it out. Don’t wait until someone threatens a lawsuit and you don’t have the proper procedures in place.