Forget Business, IM is Key Tool For Gossip, Flirting

Despite being touted as one of today’s key business tools, a new study finds that Instant

Messaging is being used a lot more for flirting and gossiping than for actually doing

business.

One-third of those surveyed admit to making sexual advances over IM while in the office,

according to a study from Blue Coat Systems, Inc., a security company based in Sunnydale,

Calif. And 65 percent of office workers use IM for personal conversations during the work

day.

”While instant messaging has proven itself as a productive business tool, our research

validates that its free-flowing and unmonitored nature is creating enormous legal

liabilities, compliance and productivity issues for organizations worldwide,” says Steve

Mullaney, a vice president at Blue Coat. ”Organizations must now integrate a policy for

controlling and logging IM as part of the overall Internet-use policy.”

And with Instant Messaging spreading like wildfire across corporate networks, its misuse has

wide implications.

The Radicati Group Inc., a consulting firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., recently predicted

that the current 590 million accounts will multiply into 1.4 billion by 2007.

And while only 26 percent of companies today have standardized on a common corporate IM

solution, about 70 percent are using some form of IM, notes the Radicati Group. Security is

listed as the top concern that IT managers have with users having Instant Messaging,

followed by skepticism of its corporate business value.

And it seems their concerns about security might be well founded.

According to Blue Coat, almost half of respondents admitted using abusive language in IM

conversations. And 40 percent admitted using IM to conspire with colleagues during

conference calls. Nearly 80 percent admitted to gossiping over email.

”IM has been proven as an effective business tool for many people but a number of issues

are coming to light that show there are some problems,” says Tony Thompson, a manager at

Blue Coat. ”People are conspiring with other employees while they’re on conference calls.

They use it as a sidebar of communication without the third party.”

Thompson notes that IT managers should be worried about the liability and other legal issues

that could accompany misuse of Instant Messaging. During work hours, employees are

representatives of the company and what write on IM reflects on the company. Telling dirty

jokes or commenting on another employee’s appearance, for instance, could create sexual

harassment issues for the company.

Thompson says IM needs to be a part of companies’ computer usage policies. When IT managers

sit down with business executives and company lawyers to hash out telephone, computer and

Internet usage policies, they also need to set guidelines for IM use.

”How conservative a company may be about employee communications will dictate the IM

policy,” he notes.

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