B.4.6 Mobile Communications Policy
Approved/revised: March 1, 2024
POLICY
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) recognizes that certain job functions require the use of a mobile communication device such as a cell phone or smartphone to conduct official NVIT business.
PURPOSE
This policy provides guidelines regarding the use of these devices for business purposes and the methods available to accomplish this purpose.
GUIDELINES
A. Reimbursement for use of mobile devices.
When the job duties of an NVIT employee require the frequent use of a mobile device to conduct Institute business, NVIT may provide the employee with access to a device using either of the following methods:
A.1 NVIT Provided Device:
NVIT provides a cell phone, smartphone, or similar mobile device to eligible employees when the device is required to conduct Institute business. Eligible employees are those exempt staff paid on level 11 or higher. The fees associated with the device are covered by NVIT.
A.2 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Employees who occupy positions in Appendix “A” and are regularly required by NVIT to have a mobile device will receive a stipend for the use of their personal device. The employee will receive a reimbursement of a portion of the cost of an appropriate data or cell phone plan which is required to facilitate work outside the office or office hours. Employees who wish to apply for a stipend, and do not occupy a position in Appendix “A” may, together with their supervisor, submit that request to the President’s office for consideration. See Appendix “B” for the schedule of rates.
The device will be acquired by the employee and the employee must retain an active cell phone or data contract. Use of the Device will be subject to any operational policies that are currently in place or may be put in place in the future.
The amount of reimbursement will be based on Appendix “B”. The employee may, at their own expense, add extra services or equipment features as desired.
A.4 Reimbursement for occasional use:
If an employee is occasionally required to use their personal cellphone for NVIT business, NVIT will reimburse them a rate of $3 per day. This must be preapproved by their supervisor in consultation with HR and will normally not occur more that 5-6 times annually.
B. Policy application (NVIT issued and those receiving the stipend)
NVIT reserves the right to:
• Install cybersecurity protection software such as anti-virus, anti-malware, encryption technology, etc. on any device connected to NVIT services.
o e.g., NVIT’s Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft OneNote, Colleague, Ellucian, Moodle.
• Restrict applications that could cause performance or cybersecurity issues to NVIT systems.
• Limit the use of network resources where impacting NVIT systems.
• Wipe NVIT data on lost/compromised devices.
• Enforce Identity Management technologies, such as password requirements, Multi- Factor Authentication (MFA), etc.
• Through technical policy enforcement and any other means, it deems necessary, to limit the ability of end users to transfer data to and from NVIT Systems.
Staff that lose their devices or are otherwise cybersecurity compromised are expected to report this loss to IT Services in a reasonable timeframe.
In addition to the above security settings, all users are expected to use their devices ethically.
C. Release of Liability and Disclaimer for personal smartphone use.
NVIT hereby acknowledges that the use of a personal smartphone in connection with NVIT business carries specific risks for which you assume full liability.
These risks include, but are not limited to, the partial or complete loss of data as a result of a crash of the OS errors, bugs, viruses, and/or other software or hardware failures, or programming errors that could render a device inoperable.
Applicants for this service are strongly advised to back up their personal data to an external service or device of their choice.
NVIT hereby disclaims liability for the loss of any such data and/or for service interruptions or the loss of the device itself.
NVIT expressly reserves the right to wipe the end users device(s) at any time as deemed necessary for purposes of protecting or maintaining NVIT services. Furthermore, depending on the applicable data plan, the software may increase applicable rates. You are responsible for confirming any impact on rates as a result of the use of NVIT-supplied applications, as you will not be reimbursed by NVIT.
NVIT reserves the right, at its discretion; to remove any NVIT-supplied applications or data from your device because of an actual or deemed violation of NVIT Use of Technology guidelines.
Appendix A
President, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Dean, Associate Dean, Director, Registrar, Associate Registrar, Manager*, Librarian, HR Advisor (payroll), Executive Assistant*, RARO, and Department Chair**.
* Not all Managers and Executive Assistants will receive a stipend. Only those who regularly require the use of a mobile device outside of regular office hours.
** Not all department chairs will receive a stipend. Only those working with multiple Indigenous communities across BC.
Appendix B
Staff reimbursement allowance rates for BYOD:
The standard reimbursement rate for BYOD is $25 per month.
Members of the Senior Management Team and those employees responsible for critical operations such as facilities, payroll, and emergency notification who are on call 24 hours a day will receive a reimbursement rate of $50 per month.