Messaging applications have changed the lives of people during the pandemic, particularly for those who moved to completely remote workplace conditions. The US-based businesses were largely affected during the pandemic, wherein conventional modes of communication were shattered during the lockdown. Going through the statistics related to the US market, during the year 2020, over 300 millions of emails were sent within and outside of the US to keep in touch. On the other hand, the outbreak of the pandemic had taught us the importance of digital communication, and the associated risks as well.
Read More: What Does the Future of Work Look Like? One Austin Company Sees It Now
Despite being aware of the investigation and litigation factors associated with digital communication, e-mail has emerged as the one of the most preferred forms of digital communication post pandemic.
What are messaging applications then? How are such applications different from e-mails?
Much prior to the pandemic, messaging applications had become popular amongst the global netizens. As on October 2020, it was understood that, most popular messaging applications across the globe were:
- Facebook Messenger
- Viber
Such kind of messaging applications accounted for being used in favor of about 4 million consumers globally during the year of pandemic. However, industry experts from the field of technology based digital communication stated that usage of messaging apps could not be understood only from some statistical data. Therefore, what has made the usage of messaging applications most popular? The answer is lifestyle indicators of people.
For instance, in the US, Facebook Messenger remains to be one of the most popular messaging apps. Experts reveal, on the other hand, that Germany has a majority of the population using iMessage and Facebook Messenger in addition to Whatsapp chats. Experts associated with the digital communication arena reveal messaging applications are much informal while communicating on such platforms can help with a better user experience. Data secrecy and privacy remains to be a differentiating factor, and messaging applications are preferred largely by the global audience when compared to email communication.
What are some of the most interesting factors which influence the usage of messaging applications?
International firms like McKinsey, and Gartner reveal that age and gender remain to be the two most influential factors that decide messenger app usage in different countries. Trends during the pandemic have revealed that, the females prefer to use messenger applications, to communicate private messages. On the contrary, in comparison to females, males prefer other modes of digital communication as well! Overall, the pandemic has helped in penetration of messaging applications and now we have all been addicted.
Top News: Diversity and Inclusion Strategies that Actually Work
Are messaging applications quite convenient to be used?
A wide level of target audience surveyed, by reputed international firms, disclose that messaging applications can really lend total convenience and comfort of communication to the user. Due to the easy access through internet penetration, messaging applications have gradually emerged as one of the most popular tools for business communication. Remote interactions have been done through messaging applications during the outbreak of pandemic, as it allowed complete convenience and user discretion related to data exchange.
Questions are however raised by experts that messaging applications has its’ blues as it allows complete discretion and privacy of data for the message being shared at any given point of time. As messaging applications are gradually evolving as a popular tool for business communication, it is quite risky to enable such platforms for professional communication, especially when implemented on a larger scale.
What are the major risks involved with messaging applications?
HR tech experts have disclosed that discretion and secrecy of data is not always being looked at, positively by the management.
Enabling access to shared networks, especially during the pandemic, point out towards sharing of important information, while experts agree that messaging applications do exactly the opposite!
Are there compliance risks associated with messaging applications?
Most often, smart devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets are shared with employees and this can increase the resource cost as has been acknowledged by businesses.
At the same time, such dedicated devices can help the employee to remain accessible for a larger period of time, especially while working from a remote location. Simultaneously, an employee connecting to another on a shared network is expected to comply with the professional ethics laid down through a written communication protocol. But how can messaging applications help you in making ethical as well as benefiting communication? Technology experts reveal that, for most of the popular application platforms, it is quite rare to have a central server. Therefore, it is not likely to have copies of communication saved for future references. Corporate honchos therefore, have raised questions as business protocols have the requirement of public disclosures if need be, while protection of intellectual rights should be maintained on priority while users continue to communicate on messaging applications.
On the other hand, technology wizards have endorsed that, limited access to private information shared through digital applications can also be a good enough barrier to harness protocol based communication within a defined framework. Getting access to the device needs to be thought about by the experts, in order to extract information which might be required in future as proof of information exchange between two individuals concerned ( viz. for the purpose of evidence in reference to litigation that might arise from a corporate dispute).
Should messaging applications be banned?
Messaging applications can be banned by the corporate world, although there are enough contradictions amongst managers regarding this issue. Probability and effectiveness of the ban have put up several questions, as unprofessional information sharing happening through such personal messaging applications have pointed out towards a sinful work culture at the end of the day. Getting access to the devices, on the other hand, would put the corporations on policing platforms, and therefore shall not be quite encouraging for the employees in the long run.
Elimination of chat groups however, shall restrain the employees from sharing light hearted information, or motivational ones, which also might be detrimental in the long run.
However, HR tech experts reveal that, in certain cases, messaging applications have created natural motivation as people have voluntarily participated in sharing personal issues or relevant information, to release stress. At the end of the day, trust is what matters, and while employees are being given freehand on such devices, experts request the organization to be more transparent, remove partiality and follow a process based approach in igniting trust amongst the employees while making them satisfied on a particular work role!
Conclusion
Usage of messaging applications have been quite common especially when remote working has changed our lifestyle patterns. Secrecy and privacy of data although required, risk needs to be mitigated while enabling such platforms so that unprofessional communication should not creep in to destroy the work culture. Harnessing trust amongst employees especially in a technology enabled workspace is something that contemporary managers might have to look at! Above all, such tools remain useful in context to the changing paradigm post pandemic, only when we, the humans, use it judiciously and take responsibility for our own actions!