Article.

Gotta catch ‘em all…but not in the workplace

23/08/2016

At a glance

Since 6 July when Pokémon Go was released, the augmented reality game has become a global phenomenon. Walking down the street it seems that every second person is walking with their phone held out in front of them, searching for the next character to add to their collection.

Whilst this might be great for the Pokémon fan’s daily step-count, employees obsessively playing the game within work hours can become a problem for employers.  Employers are unlikely to find issue with an employee playing the game over their lunchbreak.  However, some employees may be unable to draw the line and there is a risk of productivity loss, particularly if there is a Poké gym nearby! 

In detail

Some employers have taken a hard-line approach – Boeing has reportedly banned all play during work hours.  Employers could consider:

(i)            banning or restricting the use of work computers/devices and internet for personal use;

(ii)           banning or restricting all use of personal mobiles/devices (except in the case of an emergency) during work hours; or

(iii)          specifically restricting use of social media and gaming on personal mobiles/devices during work hours.
To put in place any such restrictions, clear and enforceable policies are necessary, setting out what is acceptable vs unacceptable use.  Any restrictions should be pragmatic; in a digital world, if banning all use of the internet for personal use would be unenforceable it would be better to restrict usage instead.  If reasonable personal use of the internet on work computers/devices is allowed, it must be clear that such use should not interfere with work.  If use of social media and gaming is banned, augmented reality gaming should be included within a non-exhaustive list of banned use.

Any such IT/social media policy should be reflected in a disciplinary procedure to ensure that employees know what the consequences of failure to adhere to any policy is.  Employees must be made aware of the policies and, as policies are only as good as their enforcement, disciplinary action should be considered consistently if employees breach the policies.

Despite all this, the likelihood is that, like many crazes, Pokémon Go will blow over and within a couple of months employees will be onto a new craze!

Merrill April
Sarah Martin
Lara Shillito

For further information, please contact a member of our employment team.

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