“Do not eat of the apple” said God. And the first thing they did was taste the apple.
“Do not use text messaging for work”, says the policy. Everyone does it.
At least God was monitoring the garden. As soon as a bite of the apple was taken, He knew.
When it comes to communication channels, organizations often choose not to monitor prohibited channels. And this choice is starting to be costly for some, judging by the size of recent penalties imposed by regulators.
At a time when technology is advancing more rapidly than we can deal with it, simply prohibiting its use is foolish. A better way to respond in the short term is to insist that employees use the technology in a manner consistent with the organization’s values, and to monitor their behavior. With time and experience, sensible rules will emerge.
If a practice appears risky enough to prohibit it, then make sure you monitor it.
The Ethical Leader 