4 reasons why WhatsApp might not be the right choice for work communication
What is the WhatsApp problem?
It is no secret that the workplace has changed drastically over the years. As more and more people work remotely or are self-employed, they need to find new ways of communicating with their colleagues.
Some people have turned to use WhatsApp as a way of saving time by texting rather than calling or emailing. However, it is important to be aware that this app does have some disadvantages which you should consider before switching over entirely.
Here are four reasons why WhatsApp might not be the right choice for you when it comes to work communication.
Information can be leaked due to a lack of security
Because WhatsApp is the most popular messaging software on the market, it is a target for cybercriminals from all walks of life, including nations and terrorist organizations. Just this last December, Citizen Lab released an article about how “WhatsApp is abused” to penetrate into user’s phones. If your company deals with sensitive information, you need to be sure that you are using a secure messaging app that will keep your data safe.
Mixing private and work communication
One of the main disadvantages is that WhatsApp can easily mix private and business communication. This can be a problem if someone sends a personal message to a coworker or if someone shares confidential information in a group chat. It can be difficult to keep track of which messages are personal and which ones are business-related, and this can lead to confusion and mistakes.
Another disadvantage of using WhatsApp for work communication is that it can be distracting. When you’re trying to focus on a project, it can be difficult to concentrate if you’re constantly getting notifications from WhatsApp. This is because the app is designed to be used as a chat client, rather than a tool for business communication.
Has no administration features
WhatsApp lacks administration, meaning that a business cannot use the app to manage its employee communication. For example, a company cannot send mass messages to all of its employees or create groups for different teams. This can be a disadvantage for businesses that are looking for a more efficient way to communicate with their employees.
Also, it is lacking any sort of access control or administration functionality, which means that it is not possible to specify which users can view certain messages or which groups they may access. This could result in sensitive information being inappropriately shared without any trace. Furthermore, you cannot track who has viewed or deleted a message. This could make it difficult to determine who is responsible for changes made to sensitive information.
Does not protect against data and service loss
WhatsApp does not protect against data loss. If your phone is lost or stolen, the WhatsApp messages on your phone are also at risk of being accessed and read. In addition, if you delete a WhatsApp message, there is no way to retrieve it.
WhatsApp is not a reliable messaging service for critical work communication. There have been many instances where messages have not been delivered or have been delivered with errors. Just this last October WhatsApp service was down for almost a day due to Facebook’s global outage. This can be frustrating for users who are trying to communicate with others via WhatsApp.
What should we do?
The lack of security, administration features, and data protection in addition to potential service loss in WhatsApp, are all topics that have been discussed in this post. If you’re considering the switch from email or another secure messaging platform to secure-but-not-completely secure app like WhatsApp, it’s important to know what these risks entail.
Finding an alternative secure chat app is also a good idea if you want your business communications private and secure without any third party involvement.
One such option must have administration features, high security standards, data loss protection and guaranteed service uptime.
As always, I hope that our insights here help inform your decision when selecting the best tool for communicating securely with co-workers remotely or onsite!
