Pokémon Go: An Employee Policy Challenge?

In the recent heatwave I have taken advantage of my local park, wandering round the lakes, finding shade under the trees, but on more than one occasion I was shocked to see people missing all of the beauty around them, fixated on their smart phone. Were they not interested in their companion's conversation? Were they lost and consulting a map? No, all around me, humans turned hunters. Of Pokemons. We are talking about Pokémon Go!

Whilst the latest craze has passed me by, it cannot be denied that this app is all consuming for a mind-bending number of people. Pokémon Go is fast rivalling Twitter in popularity and has already been downloaded to more phones than Tinder. If your company is office-based or perhaps a call centre or production line where individuals would be missed, you may feel that you have nothing to worry about but, what if you employ field sales staff, couriers or home workers? Are your staff hunting whilst working, or worse still, hunting whilst driving?

The policies that you have in place should adequately protect you from rogue hunters but until Pokémon Go joins the forgotten ranks of Loom Bands, Tamagotchi and Pog, consider this:

Health and safety policy

Your health and Safety policy will define how employees are expected to behave. Employees should be aware of their surroundings at all times, wherever they are on the premises, inside or out. If your car park for example is, or is close to, a 'Pokéstop', you may find employees creating hazards by obliviously wandering or even running, through without a moment's consideration for colleagues, cars, delivery drivers, forklifts etc., focused only on the screen of their smartphone.

IT & Communications / Social Media policies

Are staff currently allowed to use their personal phones during work time? If the answer is no, Pokémon Go is no different. Even where personal use is permitted, staff who are unproductive because they are hunting during work time can be disciplined just as someone surfing the...