When I write headlines like the above I feel like someone's dad dancing at a wedding. Never mind. The Independent has a story today about people carrying iPods in the office. Employers have finally twigged, it seems, that allowing someone into their premises with 60 gigabytes or so of storage in their pocket isn't clever if you're not making sure they're not loading any data from the office during the day.
It's not just iPods of course, it's any portable storage device (but congrats to Apple's marketing team for instilling the brand so firmly that it gets a mention even when it's only partially relevant). And it's worth mentioning that having a policy about it won't cover you. I was at a substantial software company recently to pitch for some corporate writing work, and a senior director confirmed that although the organisation had strict rules about attaching gadgets to the computer, he'd downloaded iTunes onto his and frequently used it for music downloads in the background while he was working.
I suspect he was innocent of taking information out of the office. But that's not really the point - the issue is that in spite of serious rules about personal technology in the office, he continued as he pleased.
It's worth looking at your employees, particularly anyone who's not doing well or who you've disciplined. Will they be off to the competition shortly? Can they get at your customer list, and do you have any means specified in their contract of checking any data they might have on their MP3 player or phone..?
