E-mail and Internet usage

Some contractors have access to e-mail and the Internet, including the company’s social media accounts, for use in connection with the Company’s business and as part of the normal execution of their agreed tasks as a TFBI contractor. The purpose of these rules is to protect the Company’s legal interests. Unregulated access increases the risk of inadvertently forming contracts through e-mail and social media and increases the opportunity for wrongful disclosure of confidential information and trade secrets. In addition, carelessly worded e-mail can expose the Company to other risks such as an action for libel.

As such, all e-mails and messages sent internally and externally, e.g. to clients and customers, must follow the Company’s designated house style, which will be supplied to authorised users. Furthermore, contractors must not, under any circumstances, include unacceptable, offensive, derogatory or profane language within the text of any internal or external e-mail or social media message. Failure to follow house style and the rules on use of language is a disciplinary matter and will be dealt with under the Company’s disciplinary procedure. E-mail should not be used for unsolicited correspondence or marketing campaigns and contractors may not commit the Company financially by e-mail unless they have been granted a specific level of delegated authority to do so.
Contractors are also prohibited from using company e-mail or social media accounts to circulate any non-business material. As “cyber bullying” is an emerging risk, contractors are also prohibited from using the Company’s electronic communications as a means of intimidating or bullying other contractors or third parties.
Actions of doing otherwise may amount to gross misconduct and result in ending the contract.
Use of instant messaging systems must be expressly approved in advance by contractor’s point of contact in the organisation.
Contractors must never use the TFBI e-mail address to make orders for personal goods and services to sell their personal goods and services, or to sign up for any services (except those expressly authorised by the Company).

Social networking and video-sharing websites

When logging on to and using social networking and video-sharing websites and blogs (social media) at any time:
• use company’s social media in a way that breaches any of the Company’s other policies – if an Internet post would breach any of these policies in another forum, it will also breach them in an online forum

• other than in relation to the Company’s own social media activities or other than where expressly permitted by the Company on business networking websites such as LinkedIn, write about their work for the Company – and, in postings that could be linked to the Company, they must also ensure that any personal views and opinions expressed are clearly stated to be theirs alone and do not represent those of the Company

• create a social media account that could be mistaken for a Company social media account

• create a social media account or profile that impersonates one or more of the Company’s employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers

• use the Company’s logos, trademarks or other corporate artwork on a personal social media account

• conduct themselves in a way that is potentially detrimental to the Company or directly or indirectly brings the Company or its clients, customers, contractors or suppliers into disrepute, for example by posting images or video clips that are inappropriate or links to inappropriate website content or sharing inappropriate content posted by others

• other than in relation to the Company’s own social media activities or other than where expressly permitted by the Company on business networking websites such as LinkedIn, use their work e-mail address when registering on such sites or provide any link to the Company’s website

• allow their interaction on these websites or blogs to damage working relationships with or between employees and clients, customers, contractors or suppliers of the Company, for example by criticising or arguing with such persons or using abusive or threatening language towards them

• include personal information or data about the Company’s employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers without their express consent (a contractor may still be liable even if employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers are not expressly named in the websites or blogs as long as the Company reasonably believes they are identifiable) – this could constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 which is a criminal offence

• make any derogatory, offensive, discriminatory, disrespectful, untrue, negative, misleading, critical, disparaging or defamatory comments or statements about the Company, its employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers (an employee may still be liable even if the Company, its employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers are not expressly named in the websites or blogs as long as the Company reasonably believes they are identifiable)

• air grievances about the Company or any of its activities

• make any comments about the Company’s employees or contractors that could constitute unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation or cyber-bullying contrary to the Equality Act 2010 or post any images or video clips that are discriminatory or which may constitute unlawful harassment or cyber-bullying – contractors can be personally liable for their actions under the legislation

• provide references for other individuals on social media websites, as such references could be attributed to the Company and create legal liability for both the author of the reference and the Company

• disclose any trade secrets or confidential, proprietary or sensitive information belonging to the Company, its employees, clients, customers, contractors or suppliers or any information which could be used by one or more of the Company’s competitors, for example, information about the Company’s work, its products and services, technical developments, current or future trading performance, deals that it is doing or future business plans, staff morale and anything else that is not already in the public domain

• breach copyright or any other proprietary interest belonging to the Company, for example, using someone else’s images or written content without permission or failing to give acknowledgement where permission has been given to reproduce particular work – if contractors wish to post images, photographs, personal details or videos of their work colleagues or clients, customers, contractors or suppliers on their online profile, they should first obtain the other party’s express permission to do so.

Contractors should remember that social networking websites are a public forum, even if they have set their account settings at a restricted access or “friends only” level, and therefore they should not assume that their entries on any website will remain private. Contractors must also be security conscious when using social networking websites and should take appropriate steps to protect themselves from identity theft, for example by restricting the amount of personal information they give out, such as date and place of birth, schools attended, family names and favourite football team. This information may form the basis of security questions and/or passwords on other websites, such as online banking.
If contractors are asked to contribute to an official blog or newsfeed connected to the Company, then special rules apply and the contractor will be briefed in detail about what to write.
Contractors who are discovered contravening these rules may face serious disciplinary action under the Company’s disciplinary procedure. Depending on the seriousness of the offence, it may amount to gross misconduct and could result in the contractor’s summary dismissal.

Downloading information from the Internet and file sharing

Due to our faster computer networks, contractors may be tempted to make illegal downloads of material that is subject to copyright. This includes, but is not limited to, music, film and business software. As this and any subsequent file-sharing of this material constitutes an infringement of copyright, it is prohibited on any Company accounts. Any breach is likely to lead to disciplinary action being taken.

E-mail and Internet monitoring

The Company reserves the right to monitor contractors’ company’s internal and external e-mails and the company’s social media use, both during routine audits or random spot checks of the computer system and in specific cases where a problem relating to excessive or unauthorised use is suspected.

The Company will only monitor e-mail and social media use where we have a lawful basis for doing so. The business purposes for such monitoring are to:
• establish the existence of facts, e.g. in response to a client or customer complaint
• ascertain compliance with regulatory or self-regulatory requirements, practices or procedures
• assess standards of contractor’s performance and conduct and promote productivity and efficiency
• investigate or detect any unauthorised use of the systems
• ensure the security of the systems and networks and their effective operation
• ensure the smooth running of the business by checking whether there are any relevant business communications that need to be dealt with
• ensure that the Company’s rules, policies and procedures are being complied with
• record transactions
• promote client and customer satisfaction
• ensure that the systems are not being used for any unlawful purpose or activities that may damage the Company’s business or reputation
• perform effective internal administration
• ensure that all contractors are treated with respect and dignity, by discovering and eliminating any material that is capable of amounting to unlawful harassment
• protect the privacy of personal data, trade secrets and sensitive or confidential Company information and ensure there is no breach of confidentiality or data protection provisions.
Members of the IT department are authorised to monitor e-mail and the Internet during routine audits or random spot checks and they may also be instructed to do so by managers where a problem is suspected. Access to the results of monitoring is restricted to the IT department and to those managers who are authorised to access them in accordance with the purposes outlined above. Disclosure of the results of monitoring to other third parties will only be made in accordance with the purposes outlined above and will be limited to:
• the police and other law enforcement agencies, where the results could assist in the prevention or detection of a crime or the identification and prosecution of an offender
• prosecution agencies, such as the Crown Prosecution Service
• relevant legal representatives
• managers involved with Company disciplinary and performance management processes.
HHT Directors (or another senior director acting in their absence) are the only people permitted to authorise the disclosure of information to external third parties such as law enforcement agencies.
Communications of a sensitive or confidential nature should not be sent by work e-mail because it is not guaranteed to be private. You should use your personal e-mail account for such communications.
When monitoring e-mails, the Company will, except in exceptional circumstances, confine itself to monitoring the flow of communications, which may include looking at the recipient’s e-mail address and subject line of the e-mail, as well as the date and time. However, where exceptional circumstances warrant it, such as where it becomes necessary to check e-mails during a contractor’s unexpected absence, the Company may open e-mails and access the actual content. In this case, the Company will still avoid, if possible, opening e-mails that are clearly marked in the subject line as private or personal.
The Company is committed to being transparent about how and why contractors are monitored and will always consider whether the monitoring measures are proportionate.
The Company reserves the right to restrict, deny or remove e-mail or social media access to or from any contractor.

Reading and storing e-mails

The e-mail system is not to be used as a storage area. Unwanted messages should be deleted completely. Important information or files should be saved into your private or communal data areas or into e-mail folders.
If you are going to be out of the office for a week or longer and as such you will be unable to check your e-mail, you should switch on your “out of office assistant” message. This should state the date you will be back, whether you can still access e-mails in your absence and an alternative contact for any immediate enquiries or problems. E-mail received in your absence will not normally be read by other members of staff unless you have specifically requested a colleague to undertake this task. However, e-mail may need to be checked by managers for business-related reasons when you are absent for any reason. It may, therefore, be unavoidable that some personal e-mails might be read in these circumstances.

E-mail guidelines

In addition to following the Company’s designated house style in all internal and external e-mail and the provisions on reading and storing e-mails, the Company recommends that contractors follow these e-mail guidelines:
• use the subject line to specify exactly what the e-mail is about
• only mark an outgoing e-mail as “urgent” or “high priority” if that is really the case; not because a swift reply is expected or desired from the recipient
• be concise in the body of your text
• if an outgoing e-mail is not urgent, always give the recipient adequate time to reply
• if an issue or query in an e-mail is urgent, consider telephoning the intended recipient first and then following up with a confirmatory e-mail later
• answer all incoming e-mails within 72 hours (if only to acknowledge receipt)
• if you cannot give a response at that point, state when you will be able to reply in full and/or what you are doing to find out the answer or resolve the issue
• don’t send work-related e-mails between 8 pm and 7 am, at weekends or on bank or public holidays unless you know the intended recipient is available and working; urgent matters that arise during these times should be dealt with via other means.

E-mail viruses and spam

All incoming and outgoing external e-mails are checked for computer viruses, and if a virus is found, the message will be blocked. E-mails may also be checked for other criteria, for example, having an attached image file or containing offensive or inappropriate material or including a “banned” word or from a “banned” user under the criteria in the Company’s spam software which indicates the message is spam. Again, the e-mail will be blocked. The Company reserves the right for the IT department to block and then read these messages to ascertain whether they are business-related.
If you receive an e-mail or data file that is in a format or comes from a source that you do not recognise, do not open the item but contact the IT department immediately. Any executable (.exe) files received by e-mail must be referred to the IT department for clearance before any other action is taken.
If you receive any unsolicited e-mails or spam that manages to bypass the Company’s spam software, you must not respond in any way. Please forward the e-mail to the IT department and they will add the sender to the list of banned users. Some spam e-mails may offer the option to opt out of receiving them. Be aware that this is sometimes used as a way by unscrupulous spammers to validate a live e-mail address.
Contravention of this policy
Failure to comply with any of the requirements of this policy is a disciplinary offence and may result in disciplinary action being taken under the Company’s disciplinary procedure, up to an including summary dismissal for gross misconduct.
Please contact the IT department via su*********@*fb.institute
General IT issues
We are sorry, but we cannot generally assist with specific user technical issues due to the wide variety of phones, tablets, computers, and operating systems. Please consult a local expert if you have specific IT issues unrelated to Spam or potential hacking.

Olga Terebenina
Director
25/09/2025