A Brief Introduction About the Company Cell Phone Agreement
When an employer provides an employee with a cell phone for business use, they enter into this contract. The reason for this contract is that the employee should not use the company cell phone for making personal calls or sending individual emails.
Apart from using the cell phone for business use, the cell phone policy also outlines other important aspects like safety or security involving the cell phone. For instance, what is the course of action for the employee if the cell phone is lost or stolen. Issues like using WIFI in public which could result in data leakage are also mentioned in the ‘do’s and don’ts section.’
When it comes to a cell phone agreement, there can be a general policy to be followed by all employees or a different policy for each employee. Company provided cell phones are generally used more actively by the Marketing or Sales Department. So, employees of this department may have a separate policy, while the employees of the rest of the company may have a general policy.
Who Takes the Company Cell Phone Agreement – People Involved
When a company is providing a cell phone for business use to an employee, both the company and the employee enter into an employee cell phone agreement.
The company enters into this agreement to ensure that the cell phone provided to the employee is not misused either for making personal calls or compromising data confidentiality using public Wi-Fi.
Purpose of the Company Cell Phone Agreement – Why Do You Need It?
When an employee is being provided with a cell phone by a company, there are specific rules and regulations needs to be followed. All these are mentioned in the employee handbook cell phone policy. Without a company-issued cell phone policy, employees might spend more time on personal calls, and this would lead to lower productivity.
Employees could share confidential company data with third parties or unknowingly leak data when they use public Wi-Fi. With there is an agreement, then the employee knows that the cell phone can only be used for company-specific purposes. If they use it for personal use, they could not only be penalized, but their services could be terminated. If company data is shared, they could face a penalty and imprisonment as well since this is a criminal offense.
Contents of the Company Cell Phone Agreement – Inclusions
The information related to a cell phone agreement can be found in a cell phone policy template.
A cell phone agreement should contain the following information:
- Parties to the agreement
- Communication details of both employer and employee
- The effective date of the agreement
- The rules and regulations regarding the use of the cell phone in the office
- The cells phones are the property of the company and can be revoked at any time
- The use of cell phone cameras and the dos and don’ts regarding it. If taking pictures with cell phones are allowed, the circumstances under which it is allowed should also be mentioned
- If the employees use the cell phone while in a company vehicle which is strictly prohibited, it could lead to dismissal of the employee
- Governing laws according to which the agreement has been drafted
How to Draft the Company Cell Phone Agreement <h2> – Points to Consider While Preparing the Agreement
A cell phone agreement template can be referred to while preparing an agreement and making the necessary modifications to customize it to your requirements.
While drafting a company cell phone policy, the following points need to be kept in mind:
- The names of the parties and their relationship
- Complete information related to both parties
- Designation of the employee and concerned department
- Make and model of cell phone
- The regulations regarding the use of company cell phones must be clearly stated.
- The purpose for which the cell phones is to be used
- What should be the time spent on personal calls and texts
- Exclusion of any international calls by the employee except for company purposes
- The agreement should state that the cell phone is the company’s property and could be taken away without notice
- Governing laws of the state
Negotiation Strategy
While a company cell phone agreement is meant to ensure that the employee uses the phone for business use, the employee could negotiate with the company for greater flexibility regarding personal use under exceptional circumstances like family living far away, or there might be a critical patient in the family.
Benefits & Drawbacks of the Company Cell Phone Agreement
Here are the benefits of a company cell phone agreement:
- Protection of confidential data with penalties for sharing data with any third party
- With lesser time spent on making personal calls, employee productivity will be higher
- Legal action can be taken against the employee for violation of the cell phone policy
Here are the drawbacks of a company cell phone agreement:
- Lack of flexibility regarding personal usage. This should be allowed under certain exceptional circumstances
- Employees might feel highly stressed if they are constantly monitored regarding the use of cell phones for personal reasons. This could lead to a fall in productivity
What Happens in Case of Violation of Company Cell Phone Agreement?
Cell phone policies are drafted to ensure that employees do not share confidential company data or affect company profitability by using cell phones for personal use while at work.
If there is a violation on the part of the employee, the employer should find out the reason for making the personal calls and then make a decision.
If it is found that the employee is making personal calls for trivial reasons, then the employee should be given a warning.
If the employee does not heed the warning, then notice should be sent to the employee warning him or her about the possible consequences. The next step would be legal action and finally, expulsion.
If you are providing a cell phone to your employee for business purposes, then you need to have a company cell phone agreement. This agreement will state the purpose for which the employee is supposed to use the cell phone. Violation of the agreement could also lead to immediate termination from employment.