NATIONAL BLACK WORKER CENTER HUMAN RESOURCES – MIRCOSOFT TEAM'S MESSAGING POLICY 1.0 Purpose The purpose of this Travel & Expensen 2.0 Scope This policy applies to but is not limited to faculty, staff, interns, vendor representatives, consultants, temporary staff, and other workers in NBWC, including all personnel affiliated with third parties. This policy applies to but is not limited to all equipment connected to NBWC networks, used in NBWC facilities, or outside NBWC facilities to conduct NBWC business. Exceptions to this policy may be necessary to perform security audits or other authorized purposes. Any exceptions must be coordinated through the NBWC Executive Staff (Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director) or Director of Human Resources. 3.0 Policy 3.1. External Teams Messaging Teams are a helpful tool that allows easy communication across NBWC offices and those staff members who work remotely. It is meant to be an informal means of communication between our staff. Used well it should create the same sort of atmosphere as if we were all in the same offices. Our policy is that teams should become the standard means of informal communication using 'Face Teams,' ultimately replacing the phone and email for noncritical NBWC communications. Although casual, Teams are still a workplace tool. Please communicate responsibly and with consideration to your colleagues, not all of whom may share your sense of humor or understand the intended tone of your messages. 3.2. Internal Teams Messaging a. Teams are an informal communication tool. It aims to create the same sort of informal chatty method of communication that you would have if everyone were sitting together in the same office. b. Teams can be used to message a person or a group; to conduct a video call with a person or a group; to have a phone call with a person or a group; to check calendars or set up a project working group. There are two core uses. Page 1 of 4 3.3. Acceptable Teams Messaging Use We would expect teams to be used for the following: I. Informal communication across the organization a. Updates about your movements across the organization* b. Information about your holiday c. How to contact you if you are traveling all-day d. Chats about bits of work or questions to colleagues e. Excellent feedback from a customer f. Water cooler chat (e.g., who should win Strictly, what is going on in politics, sector 'gossip' of a non-personal nature) g. Quick questions about work are those that you would yell across the office to a colleague h. Sharing informal knowledge and learning, either across the organization or in the appropriate Teams group. * Please note that this is an informal update for everyone at the organization. Staff should, of course, continue to speak personally to anyone who will directly be affected by their absence from the office. II. Project working Teams are beneficial for project work. You can effectively have project team meetings to discuss what is going on without having to meet physically. You can do this via video call, or a group set up expressly for the project. Staff, when setting up a project group, should do the following: a. Inform the project team members b. Set up the group c. Determine the protocols around sharing documents – for example, there may be times when an email is needed or links to SharePoint in teams d. Ensure that the group is admin accessible even if the project leader is not available 4.0 Acknowledging messages Teams should be checked by all staff members a minimum of twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. Once a staff member has seen a message, they should use the 'like' function, so the original 'poster' knows their message has been noted. Page 2 of 4 5.0 What Teams should not be used for Term Teams Messaging (TEAMS) Definition It is not easy to track a topic or particular message in a group in Teams, so there are some things that it does not work well for. Scenario # 1 It should not, in normal circumstances, be used for document collaboration unless the document is on SharePoint and the link is shared. Please note that, unlike emails, team’s conversations can be hard to search, so think about what is going to the easiest and most effective way for your colleagues to collaborate on Teams. In Doubt Use Email (IDUE) Similarly, email and SharePoint are preferred when dealing with documents/information that includes lots of detail and may need to be traced back later. When using the Teams messaging service, staff should ask themselves about the relevant importance of their question to the organization's running. Consider if it is something that needs to be formally tracked or audited in the future. If in doubt, use email. 6.0 Video Conferencing Policy As stated in NBC's 'Video Conferencing' Policy, virtual meetings are beneficial and can save travel time and expense. It is also more effective to see the faces of the people you are remotely engaging with, so we would expect Face Teams to be the default communication mechanism. Page 3 of 4 The video conferencing capabilities in Teams should now be used in 'Skype for Business' for both planned 'virtual meetings' and instant short term 'mini-meetings' requiring quick decisions. Please see the Video Conferencing Policy for more information regarding preparing for a 'virtual meeting 7.0 Resources For additional guidance, refer to NBWC Policies: 0000 – Glossary of Computer Data and System Terminology 0000 – Computer and Network Security 0000 – HIPAA 0000 – Use of Institutional Data 0000– Organizational Archives and Records Management 8.0 Revision History This Effective Version Date – 07/06/21 Policy's Initial Date (InterTEAMS Draft) – 07/02/21 Original Draft – 7/01/21 Page 4 of 4