Whoa! That is why we need corporate mobile policy!
Posted by Jennifer Burns on Tue, Dec 15, 2009
I had a "Whoa" moment recently that I wanted to share. Did you know that if one of your employees gets into an accident while talking on corporate-liable device, your company may be liable for the damages? Well, I had no idea. It is a pretty disturbing thought. In fact, in 2005 Beers Skanska had to settle a suit $4.75 million after one of its employees slammed into a stationary car while reaching to retrieve a message on a mounted, handsfree cell phone. I sat on a great webinar hosted by the VoiceReport that discussed this and different tactics an organization can use to police mobile devices. Some of the tips included:
The key here is to make sure that you have your employees review, agree and sign off on your policy every year...at a minimum. CYA.
There are also some pretty cool tools/services out there that will disable certain functions (ie. texting and emailing) while driving. It actually monitors the phone's location, acceleration and velocity and shuts down functionality. The service carrier neutral and is just a few dollars a month. Thats a small price to pay when you consider a $4.75 M payout for a mistake.
Come to think of it, this may give parents with teenagers a little peace of mind when they get behind the wheel.
Unfortunately they weren't able to record the webinar but you can access the presentation materials here. It is definitely worth a scan.
Photo by by jk5854