The
City of Pittsburgh (“City”) provides electronic and
telephone communications, including E-mail, Internet/Intranet, voice
mail, and other systems (“City electronic communication systems”)
to its designated employees for their use in performing their duties
for the City at the City’s expense. It is City policy that
the electronic communications systems are to be used for principally
work-related purposes. Any employee who uses these systems in a
manner inconsistent with this policy or in violation of any other
Departmental, Bureau or City policy may be subject to disciplinary
action up to and including termination. All employees who use City
electronic communications systems shall certify that they have read
and fully understand the contents of this policy. Any and all opinions
communicated through use of these systems, whether implied or expressed,
shall be those of the individual user and are not necessarily the
opinions of the City or its management.
Use
of the City’s Electronic Communications Systems:
City employees
may use the City’s electronic communications systems for performing
lawful City business. The City’s electronic communication
systems are provided by the City solely for employees’ business
use during City time. Limited, occasional, or incidental use of
electronic communication systems (sending or receiving) for personal,
non-business purposes is permitted under the following conditions:
- Personal
use is limited to break or lunch times; Personal
use may not interfere with the productivity of the employee or
his or her co-workers; Personal
use may not involve any prohibited activity described in this
policy; Personal
use may not disrupt or delay the performance of City business;
or
- Personal
use may not consume City resources or otherwise deplete system
resources available for business purposes.
If the personal
use of the City’s electronic communications systems results
in a cost to the City, the cost must be reimbursed by the employee.
The City reserves
the right to delete any electronic communication received by a City
employee through the City electronic communications system in order
to maintain the effective and efficient operation of the City’s
system. Deletion may occur at any time with or without prior notification.
Procedure
for Distributing Department-wide and City-wide
E-mail:
No City employee
shall distribute department-wide E-mail without prior approval from
his or her Department Director or Bureau Chief. Department Directors
and Bureau Chiefs may distribute department-wide E-mail at his or
her discretion.
No City employee
shall distribute City-wide E-mail. Requests for the distribution
of City-wide E-mail must be made through the employee’s Department
Director or Bureau Chief. If the Department Director or Bureau Chief
approves City-wide distribution, then he or she shall distribute
the E-mail to City Department Directors and Bureau Chiefs who may
forward the City-wide E-mail to the employees under his or her direction.
Prohibited
Uses:
It is the
responsibility of each City employee to use the City’s electronic
communication systems in a professional and courteous manner. The
City forbids use of its electronic communication systems in a manner
that violates any law, regulation, ordinance, or policy or procedure
of the City. E-mail and/or the Internet/Intranet should not be used
in any way that is offensive, harmful, or insulting to any person.
Examples of forbidden communications include, but are not limited
to, ethnic or racial slurs, sexually explicit photography, messages
or jokes/cartoons, unwelcome propositions or love letters, or any
other transmission that violates the City’s No Discrimination/No
Harassment/No Retaliation Policy and Reporting Procedure, which
is incorporated herein by reference. City employees shall use the
same professional courtesy in E-mail communications as is used in
other verbal or written communications.
Electronic
communications systems are not to be used to copy, send or receive
copyrighted materials, trade secrets, proprietary financial information,
or similar materials without prior authorization. Electronic communications
systems are not to be used for transmission of political messages.
City employees
are prohibited from accessing without authorization or tampering
with the security of computer/network equipment, files, or E-mail
records of any employee. Any attempt to bypass City computer/network
security controls (i.e. using unauthorized passwords, etc.) is forbidden.
Electronic “snooping” to satisfy idle curiosity about
other individuals is forbidden.
Employees
Should Not Expect Privacy:
All City communications
systems, hardware, software, temporary/permanent files, and any
related systems or devices used in the transmission, receipt, or
storage of E-mail/Internet/Intranet information are City property.
The City retains the right to access information transmitted or
stored on City electronic communications systems with or without
prior notice to employees. Employees should not have any expectation
of privacy with respect to any use, professional or personal, of
the City’s electronic communications systems.
Confidential
Information must be Handled Appropriately:
Avoid using
electronic communications systems to send confidential, privileged,
and/or sensitive information. Employees must exercise a much greater
degree of caution in transmitting confidential information by E-mail
and/or the Internet/Intranet, because of the reduced effort that
is required to redistribute such information (i.e. at the touch
of a button). Confidential information must never be transmitted
to anyone who is not authorized to know or receive such information.
Some examples
of information which may be considered confidential include, but
are not limited to:
- information
from a personnel file (e.g., Social Security number, personal
and/or family information, address and telephone information,
etc.)
- private
correspondence of elected officials;
- information
that, if released, would give a competitive advantage to one competitor
or bidder over another;
- information
relating to legal advice, questions, proceedings, or proposed
legislation;
- information
related to the regulation of financial institutions or securities;
- trade
secrets, commercial or financial information of outside businesses.
Electronic
Communications Policy is not a Contract:
This policy
does not constitute a contract of any kind. The City reserves the
right to alter the policy at any time to ensure proper City electronic
communications. If you have any questions about appropriate E-mail/Internet/Intranet
use, please contact your P&CSC personnel liaison, the Law Department,
or the CIS Help Desk at x2900.
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