Corporate Responsibilities

What You Do With the Company's Property.*

How grey is that grey line between what is yours and what is theirs?

And you might ask, "What grey line?"

This is where you are given a notebook computer, cell phone or even a car by the company to be used for the purposes of the company.

And confusion reigns right here among so many people. This object—or these objects—are in my possession, so surely I can do with them as I please. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Much of what is provided is done so the company can guarantee that their own operational and security requirements are met.

If you have a company phone, then you are almost always online, and there is no 'real' excuse for you not to 'pick up'. The car is somewhat similar—it's expected to be made available whenever the company requires it, regardless of your personal convenience.

The notebook is where that grey area is really stretched.

This device is configured to give you access to the company’s internal systems—resources, tools, and above all, data—data that is often confidential, sensitive, and extremely valuable. Your misuse of this device can easily compromise not just your own privacy, but the integrity and security of the entire company.

Yet so many people believe they have the right to use that same notebook for their personal needs—email, banking, online shopping, entertainment, and everything in between.

But would you be prepared to give the keys to your home—and all your life’s details—to a stranger?

Well, that is exactly what you are doing when you use the company's notebook for personal and private purposes.

Such is the level of configuration and security embedded in most company-provided devices, that everything you do can be monitored. That bank login you think is private? Possibly visible. Your browser history? Logged. App usage? Tracked.

“But is that legal?” you might ask. And the answer is—probably yes. At some point, you may have signed an agreement related to the use of that device. Even if you don’t remember, there is usually an implicit understanding that the device is company property. And that gives the company legal access to whatever the device contains.

So what should you do?

Well—make sure you have your own device.

And you may ask, "Why should I maintain two computers?"
Simply put: one is yours, and the other is the company's. On your own machine, you're free. You control what’s installed, what’s stored, and what’s shared. You take on the responsibility, and you reap the peace of mind.

And importantly, you also protect yourself from the very real risk of the company gaining access—intentionally or otherwise—to the keys to your personal life.

You might also find you can actually do things for yourself—without the guilt that creeps in every time you see the company logo, the corporate apps, and the emails that never seem to stop.

Speaking of which: the company email account is only for company business, and should be used only for such.

Get yourself your own email account(s), and use those for all your personal subscriptions, messages, and needs.

Why are you subscribing to all those sites using your corporate address? And what happens when that email address is no longer yours?

You’ve already given enough to the institution that provides these resources. You may be earning a fair or even generous salary—but that’s what you’ve earned. The tools provided are not part of your pay package. They are instruments to help you do the job you've been hired to do. Nothing more.

Some company rules around personal device use can seem restrictive—particularly for people with families or after-hours responsibilities. But when those rules exist, it becomes even more important for you—as an employee—to set your own boundaries around when and how their devices are used outside working hours.

Think seriously about separating your two lives. Don’t fall for the convenience—because that convenience comes at a cost.

Reclaim more of your time, your attention, and your autonomy by making sure you have a notebook or computer of your own. That cell phone, too.
And very soon, a lot of that daily stress might just begin to lift.

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