Linked – Workers use unapproved messaging apps to get their work done

This is one of those statistics that should jump off the page and worry the heck out of people in HR, and especially the eDiscovery industry.

“The study found that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the respondents use their mobile devices for work-related communications — even though 32 percent of the respondents said they are not permitted to use their mobile devices during work shifts.

Almost one in five (18 percent) of non-desk workers use messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Telegram as the primary channel to communicate with fellow colleagues, managers, and the head office. “

Listen, just saying “you’re not allowed to use your phone” is not an information governance plan. You also have to provide a way for people to communicate with each other effectively to get their work done. They will use whatever means necessary to do it. HR policies be damned.

One area not mentioned in this article that I see everywhere is SMS. Coworkers, managers, etc. are constantly texting each other, about work. Some bosses are even issuing directives via text message to reach out of the office employees immediately, all using their own devices, with no oversight or knowledge of their organization, mixed in with personal messages not related to work at all.

When a lawsuit hinges on what an employee was told by their boss, and that communication lives outside of your environment in text messages on personal devices, what’s the plan to preserve that data?

You’ll wish you had thought of it before if you find yourself in this situation.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/workers-use-unapproved-messaging-apps-to-get-their-work-done/

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