In-House Interrogatory

Asked: Our weekly question to the In-House community

This week we are talking about employees bringing their own devices (smartphone, tablet) to work and how company legal departments regulate their use.

With people constantly on-the-go at work, it makes sense for them to have mobile devices. But how does a company manage that?

According to Inside Counsel,  companies approach the device issue in different ways:

For example, some companies let employees use their existing personal devices for work with varying agreements for payment of monthly Internet charges. Others give employees stipends to purchase the devices they want. Some do both. Another approach is buying employees’ personal devices for a token amount and agreeing to sell them back at the same price when employees leave the company.

Some companies install mobile device management software on phones to give employers control over the device. The article says employers should have their employees sign an agreement that states the company’s right to monitor and protect data on the devices.

So, here’s our question for you:

Does your legal department have a plan in place for employees’ mobile devices? And, if so, how have you decided to approach the issue?

Leave a comment below or email me.

Need to Know:

• A longtime lawyer at Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore goes in-house at Telos Corporation.
• A former in-house attorney at Verizon Communications Inc. was disbarred a second time.
• Excel Sports Management hired a new general counsel.
• Transocean Ltd. named an interim general counsel.
• Ex-Penn State officials don’t want the ex-general counsel at the university testifying at hearings on the cover-up of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
• More money for in-house lawyers.

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