Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea
Tip Sheet #10
Take a time-out to think about technology
I know that I am the last person to give anyone advice about technology but I wanted to ask you to take a brief moment to think about your current practices. Our lives revolve around our technology. We rarely are visible without our cell phones in our hands. So, lets pause and think about the following:
- Never use your business or school e mail for personal use. Keep a separate account for your private business. Never forget that all e mails are archived by your place of work. They are not private.
- Always know and follow your school’s /business acceptable use policy.
- When you respond to an e mail make sure you are not responding to all recipients. This is annoying to everyone.
- When at work, do not clog the system with humor or endless “please forward” documents. Your work e mail is not meant for this.
- Know your audience. The level of formality depends upon who you are corresponding with.
- Use an electronic signature and include a phone number where people may reach you.
- Depending on your job assignment you may have access to a student data base. These data bases hold confidential and secure information. Treat them as such. You should only use them if it is part of your job assignment. You are not authorized to share this information or make any sort of corrections, additions or deletions unless making these changes are part of your job.
- Your Internet access is monitored. You are not to idly surf the Net. While you are at work, use the Net to help you perform your assignment.
- Do not add any personal devices to your system without the consent of the proper authority.
- Keep your cell phones on vibrate or off while at work. If you have to make or take a call please do it in private.
- When attending a meeting keep your phones away. There is nothing worse for the person conducting a meeting to sit before the group and see everyone on their phones. It is distracting and rude.
- Keep all of your personal social networking sites personal and private.
- When using shared printers, do not let your work clog the system for everyone else and if you delete supplies, please replace them.
At the end of the day, know your policies, use good judgment and most of all use good common sense.
