Use of email communication by the members of the Healthy Living Alliance is encouraged where such use supports the goals and objectives of the business.

However, the Healthy Living Alliance has a policy for the use of email whereby the member must ensure that they:

• comply with current legislation
• use email in an acceptable way
• do not create unnecessary business risk to the company by their misuse of the Internet

Unacceptable behaviour

• use of company communications systems to set up personal businesses or send chain letters
• forwarding of company confidential messages to external locations
• distributing, disseminating or storing images, text or materials that might be considered indecent, pornographic, obscene or illegal
• distributing, disseminating or storing images, text or materials that might be considered offensive or abusive, in that the context is a personal attack, sexist or racist
• accessing copyrighted information in a way that violates the copyright
• breaking into the system or unauthorised use of a password/mailbox
• broadcasting unsolicited personal views on social, political, religious or other non-business related matters
• transmitting unsolicited commercial or advertising material
• undertaking deliberate activities that waste staff effort or networked resources
• introducing any form of computer virus into the corporate network

Monitoring

The Healthy Living Alliance accepts that the use of email is a valuable business tool. However, misuse of this facility can have a negative impact upon membership productivity and the reputation of the business.

In addition, all of the company's email resources are provided for business purposes. Therefore, the company maintains the right to examine any systems and inspect any data recorded in those systems.

In order to ensure compliance with this policy, the company also reserves the right to use monitoring software in order to check upon the use and content of emails. Such monitoring is for legitimate purposes only and will be undertaken in accordance with a procedure agreed with employees.

Sanctions

Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in sanctions ranging from membership termination through to verbal and written warnings.