ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Objectives

In order to protect GrowMore Recruitment information assets and information systems, this Acceptable Use Policy is to protect both the company and the individual user. The policy defines how systems and infrastructure are to be accessed and utilized in an approved manner, which aligns with the morals, ethics and professional standards of GrowMore Recruitment.

Rather than being a restriction on GrowMore Recruitment culture of trust and integrity, this Acceptable Use Policy is designed to ensure individuals are aware of acceptable and unacceptable behavior so as not to expose the company or themselves to risks or consequential actions or liabilities, knowingly or accidentally.

Scope

The GrowMore Recruitment Acceptable Use Policy shall apply to all employees, contractors, and third-party users of GrowMore Recruitment  information assets, information systems, and other resources provided by GrowMore Recruitment for the purpose of supporting the website and associated online tools and software solutions. 

General Statements

Information systems and other GrowMore Recruitment resources are provided primarily for authorized company purposes only. Reasonable personal use of company equipment and resources shall be permitted, in accordance with this Acceptable Use Policy and providing this usage does not access (or attempt to access) any information assets being stored or processed on behalf of GrowMore Recruitment and/or its clients/users.

  • Under no circumstances shall users use information systems to access company information assets other than for their own legitimate business activities. Users shall not access, download, modify, copy, delete or transmit GrowMore Recruitment information other than in strict adherence to published policies and processes which control legitimate business activities.
  • Under no circumstances shall users engage in activities that interfere with the legitimate access or activities of other authorized users, or engage in any activity which could result in the denial of access or use of the service to others.
  • Under no circumstances shall users be permitted to engage in any activity which is illegal under international, national, or local laws or regulations. Should there be any conflict between such legislation and any part of this Acceptable Use Policy, this shall be referred to Senior Management as soon as possible for investigation and resolution.

Acceptable use prohibits users from creating, processing, downloading, storing, sharing, or communicating any material offensive in nature which, for clarity, includes words or images that contain:

  • Sexual images, language, or suggestive behavior
  • Racial or ethnic commentary or opinions
  • Gender-specific commentary or opinions
  • Offensive or derogatory comments about one or more persons’
  • Age
  • Sexual orientation
  • Marital or partnership status
  • Religious beliefsPolitical beliefs
  • National or ethnic origin
  • Disability

GrowMore Recruitment shall at all times promptly respond to requests for information arising from criminal investigations and legal proceedings, including electronically stored information, and therefore reserves the right to enter any of its information systems, and data repositories connected to them, to inspect, review, store or retrieve data within those systems at any time.

GrowMore Recruitment shall have the right to monitor its employee, contractor, and third-party user access to and use of information assets, information systems, email and voicemail message repositories, and other related resources provided by GrowMore Recruitment for the purpose of conducting its normal business activities.

This Acceptable Use Policy shall apply to all GrowMore Recruitment infrastructure, including but not limited to hardware assets (including servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile telephones, and tablets), software assets (including operating systems and application software), storage assets (including magnetic/optical media and USB devices) and use of network infrastructure.

If this Acceptable Use Policy does not provide sufficient information on a particular subject, it shall be referred to Senior Management for consideration and specific approval before the activity is permitted to take place.

Any employee found to have violated any of the requirements of this Acceptable Use Policy shall be subject to disciplinary action, which may include the termination of their employment with GrowMore Recruitment. Any contractor or third-party user found to have violated any of the requirements of this Acceptable Use Policy shall be dealt with as appropriate, including termination of engagement or formal escalation to the contractor’s or third-party user’s organization.

Acceptable Use of Computers and Information Systems

All information systems and related resources shall be protected by passwords that comply with the requirements of the Password Management Policy and other security controls as documented within the risk assessment for the information system concerned.

Users shall only attempt to access information systems and related resources they have specific authority to access. Disciplinary action shall be taken against any user found attempting to bypass security controls, accessing data not authorized for the user, or using another user’s account. It shall not be permitted for a user to attempt to ‘hack’ into information systems, data sources, or other websites either internally or externally, and users shall at all times comply with the GrowMore Recruitment Access Control Policy.

All information systems and related resources shall be protected by anti-virus software and other software tools installed to protect their normal operations from unauthorized amendment or interference by rogue code. Operating systems and software applications shall be promptly updated with patches supplied by the vendor, but only once they have been properly evaluated, to ensure vulnerabilities are permanently addressed. Anti-virus software and other protective tools shall be reviewed frequently to ensure they are providing protection in accordance with the latest teat lists. 

Users shall promptly cooperate and comply with instructions issued by GrowMore Recruitment in relation to the upgrading of hardware device firmware, where such upgrades have been assessed as being necessary to ensure the ongoing and secure operation of the hardware device.

GrowMore Recruitment information systems and related resources shall not be used to download, process, store, or transmit any material GrowMore Recruitment considers (at its sole discretion) to be obscene, abusive, offensive to others, defamatory, indecent, racist, sexist, libelous, hateful, or connected to criminal or illegal actions or intentions. In addition, acts relating to breaching copyrighted material, trade secrets, or violating intellectual property shall also be forbidden.

GrowMore Recruitment’s network infrastructure shall only be used for the purposes for which it has been designed and implemented. Users shall not modify or disrupt any network connectivity, or purposefully undertake any activity which increases the volume or nature of network traffic so as to cause disruption to its normal operation. GrowMore Recruitment network resources shall not be used for transferring non-commercial data other than for reasonable use as found in this Policy. GrowMore Recruitment constantly monitors and records all network activity.

All software assets intended to be installed on GrowMore Recruitment information systems shall be submitted to formal change management approval, and shall only be authorized if:

  • they have been fully and properly evaluated for information security vulnerabilities
  • they have received specific authorization from change management for the installation
  • the company holds a valid software license for the intended installation
  • they are to be installed strictly in accordance with the vendor’s software license
  • the company has the ability to support the software with updates and security patches

GrowMore Recruitment reserves the right to monitor and audit instances of installed software on GrowMore Recruitment assets and systems. Any attempts by users to prevent or interfere with such monitoring or audits will be subject to disciplinary action, as noted in this Policy.

Acceptable Use of Email Systems

GrowMore Recruitment shall permit reasonable use of GrowMore Recruitment email facilities for personal use, subject to Technology Director approval. All such personal use shall be processed, stored, and screened as if it were a business communication and shall be made available for inspection as required. The company reserves the right to restrict personal use of email systems at any time.

Users shall be aware of the consequences and risks of opening emails (and attachments to emails) which may be infected with viruses or other malware. Users shall, at all times, comply with the GrowMore Recruitment Malware Policy. When opening a Word or Excel document which requests “macros to be enabled”, this shall always be answered “no” unless the macro is from a trusted source and the content is expected by the recipient.

All GrowMore Recruitment-authored emails shall receive classification review, by email author, prior to transmission to ensure proper security classification and handling procedures are followed in alignment with the Information Classification & Handling Policy.

GrowMore Recruitment email systems shall not be used for:

  • Commercial ventures not related to the Company, including sending spam or bulk email messages.
  • The transmission or receipt of messages which contain “offensive material”, as defined in this Policy.
  • Sending communications that, by virtue of their content or frequency, may be considered to be a form of harassment by the message recipient.
  • Users of GrowMore Recruitment email systems for work-related purposes or for posting information to work-related forums or discussion groups shall ensure:
  • Proper care is taken to address the communication correctly, so as to minimize the opportunity of the message being non-delivered or accidentally misrouted.
  • Unless the intended recipient is committed to a contractual non-disclosure agreement, only information authorized to be in the public domain can be sent.
  • Unless the intended recipient is committed to a contractual non-disclosure agreement covering the intended purpose of the email, information shall not be sent that discloses GrowMore Recruitment  locations, operations, or employee or client information.

Unless specifically authorized by the Director, any posting or opinions expressed in work-related forums or discussion groups shall specifically state the posting or opinion does not reflect GrowMore Recruitment’s position or opinion.

They conduct themselves in a professional manner with courtesy, integrity, and professionalism, which aligns with GrowMore Recruitment’s corporate standing. Users shall ensure any/all messages or posts do not violate copyright or intellectual property rights.

Acceptable Use of Internet and Web-Based Groups

Access to the Internet is provided primarily for authorized business purposes and for the conducting of normal GrowMore Recruitment business. Reasonable personal use of this facility shall be permitted. Users shall not access, attempt to access, or perform search activities for websites that contain ‘offensive material, as defined in this Acceptable Use Policy.

Acceptable Use of Telephony Systems

GrowMore Recruitment telephone systems are provided primarily for authorized business purposes and for the conducting of normal GrowMore Recruitment business. A reasonable number of personal calls shall be permitted with Manager approval. Users shall keep their personal calls short, making calls to landline destinations where possible instead of mobiles, and shall not make international calls unless for business reasons.

Responsibilities

All individuals specified within the scope of this Acceptable Use Policy shall have individual responsibility for complying with each and every aspect of this policy. The requirement to comply with GrowMore Recruitment policies is included within the Terms and Conditions of Employment and is noted within each individual’s job specification. The Technology Lead shall be responsible for progressing any breaches of this Acceptable Use Policy to disciplinary action.