(A) Personal cellular phones.
(1) While at work, county employees are expected to exercise the same discretion using personal cellular phones as is expected for the use of county land-line and county-paid cell phones. Excessive personal calls during the workday, regardless of the phone used, can interfere with employee productivity and be distracting to others. A reasonable standard is to limit personal calls during work time to only those that are necessary to handle an emergency, or similar situation. Employees are therefore asked to make any other personal calls on non-work time, and ensure that friends and family members are aware of the county’s policy.
(2) Employees should take reasonable precautions to prevent damage to, or loss of, cell phones. An employee who is issued a county cell phone may be required to pay for any lost phone depending on the replacement policy of the cellular provider. The county shall not be liable for the damage, theft, or loss of personal cellular phones brought into the workplace.
(B) County-provided cellular phones.
(1) County employees may be issued a county-paid cell phone with the express written consent of their respective department head for legitimate and necessary work purposes. Employees using a county-paid cell phone will be those employees who do a majority of their work away from an office where access to a land-line is not practical. Department heads are exempt from this requirement.
(2) Personal calls, emails, text messages, and Internet usage made, or received, on a county-paid cell phone should be of a minimal nature, and only for necessary reasons.
(3) County employees in possession of company equipment, such as cell phones, are expected to protect the equipment from loss, damage, or theft. Employees who are issued a county-paid cell phone shall pay for its replacement (and any related peripheral equipment) regardless of the nature of the loss (lost, stolen, damaged, and the like), unless the phone and/or equipment can be replaced under warranty. A replacement phone and/or peripheral equipment shall not be ordered until the employee has paid for such phone and/or equipment.
(4) The county shall only provide the phone and standard peripheral equipment. Items such as Bluetooth headsets and other non-standard equipment shall be purchased with an employee’s personal funds, and the county shall not reimburse an employee for such purchases.
(5) Upon resignation or termination of employment, an employee who has been issued a county-paid cell phone shall immediately return such phone, and all related peripheral equipment, to his or her department head.
(6) Employees who separate from employment with outstanding debts for equipment loss or unauthorized charges will be considered to have left employment on unsatisfactory terms, and may be subject to legal action for recovery of the loss.
(7) Employees must notify the County Computer Department immediately of any lost, damaged, or stolen county-provided Blackberry or other smart phone.
(C) Safety issues for cellular phone use.
(1) County employees using mobile/cellular telephone equipment for business purposes in any vehicle should use a headset or hands-free device at all times. This section applies to all county employees regardless of cellular telephone ownership or vehicle ownership.
(2) Regardless of the circumstances, including slow or stopped traffic, employees are encouraged to pull off to the side of the road and safely stop the vehicle before placing, or accepting, a call. If acceptance of a call is unavoidable and pulling over is not an option, employees are expected to keep calls short, use hands-free equipment, refrain from discussion of complicated or emotional discussions, and keep their eyes on the road. Special care should be taken in situations where there is traffic, inclement weather, or the employee is driving in an unfamiliar area.
(3) At no time shall any county employee use a cellular phone, regardless of ownership, for reading and/or sending text messages, instant messages, email, or social media communication (Twitter, Facebook, and the like) while driving for business purposes, including commuting to, and from, work.
(Res. 11-04, passed - -)