The gap
Written against enforced
Most clauses have never been applied to anybody. The staff know which, and so should whoever owns the document.
The Clause Nobody Has Ever Used
A substantial share of any acceptable use policy has never been applied to anybody. The staff know which clauses those are, and so should whoever owns the document.
What a Policy Cannot Do
Four things organisations expect from an acceptable use policy that no document delivers, with what actually delivers each.
The Rule That Is Actually in Force
Every written clause has an operative counterpart that staff follow. Finding out what it is takes one question and is more informative than reading the policy.
Why Staff Know the Difference
The workforce has a precise map of which rules are live, assembled from evidence nobody in management is looking at.
The Cost of an Unenforced Clause
Dormant rules are treated as harmless. They have four specific costs, and one of them arrives at the worst possible moment.
Auditing Your Own Document
An hour, a spreadsheet and somebody who has been there a while. The output is a list of deletions and a much shorter policy.
Theatre, and When It Is Honest
Not every unenforced clause is a failure. Some exist for reasons that are legitimate, and the problem is only that nobody says which.