Ditching the DMs! Should Employer’s Ban Messaging Apps?

Ditching the DMs! Should Employer’s Ban Messaging Apps?

NatWest has recently prohibited its employees from using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype for work-related communications, leaving the question should more employer’s think about doing this?

Let’s delve into some of the issues with messaging apps:

The main concern is the lack of control companies have over the communications. When employees use personal devices, companies can’t access their messages without consent. Even on company devices, messages can be deleted or edited, compromising transparency and accountability. This creates significant challenges, such as:

• Evidence Recovery: In the event of a dispute or problem, you may lack the necessary evidence if communications happened on personal devices.
• Misconduct Investigations: Misconduct investigations can be hindered if key messages are inaccessible.
• Bullying and Harassment: Work group-chats can be used for bullying, discrimination, or harassment, potentially making the employer vicariously liable.
• Data Protection and Confidentiality Risks: Personal data processed through these apps can lead to data security and retention issues. There is also a risk of sharing of confidential or commercially sensitive information.
• Professionalism and Miscommunication: Excessive use of informal messaging, including slang, acronyms, and emojis, can reduce professionalism and lead to miscommunication.

Our recommendations

We suggest companies require employees to use official, approved channels for work-related communications. This can include work emails, internal messaging programs, or platforms with built-in compliance and archiving features which ensure all work-related communications are retrievable and accessible.

Policy Implementation

We suggest clearly outlining the restrictions on using messaging apps for work-related correspondence in your computer and social media policies. The policy should set out expectations about communication between employees and what is deems to be appropriate and acceptable behaviour. You should set

Adopting these measures can help to enhance transparency, accountability, and professionalism within your organisation.

For more help and guidance related to Employment Law please call our Employment Law Team on 01206 239 761.