Transfer a compromised photo to your boss via WhatsApp and get home from work See how work chats never stop filling messages Receive or receive calls from family members during work hours, until the early hours of the morning Screenshots with personal data Of clients without prior permission. Some of these Misuse of the instant messaging app In the opinion of experts in computer science and data protection of the College of Computer Engineers when using it in the corporate and work environment of a company.

Sergio works as the operational director of a hotel chain. You have decided not to enter your real name or company name when describing your experience, as this does not compromise your job position. He says he has been using two mobiles for a few months. Reason: Your company is using WhatsApp What The main communication channel between employees In addition to the other incidents that have plagued his daily life in recent times, his career has begun to gain a place in his personal life. Sergio You need to manage five different buildings through different WhatsApp chats, In addition to the management team and another general who found part of the staff.

“We have a schedule that we are forced to set up to disconnect from our management chat. Since we have no life, we do not have to write from 7 pm, as the mal formally admits. Since it’s 11pm, people are commenting on things. People say they don’t pay attention to it because they don’t look at it, but they always stop looking at it, which affects not quitting or quitting the job. That attention is wasting my energySays Sergio.

The biggest drawback of corporate use is that it is a communication tool related to personal and personal life. This can cause confusion on the part of your clients or colleagues Total availability at any time of the day Because it’s connected to WhatsApp, ”explains Enrique Martinez Prietel, a member of the Computer Security Group and a defense of the General Council of Computer Engineering Colleges in Spain.

“It removes microspaces from your personal life and adds everything at the end. Also, when you do not have a business cell phone, bosses sometimes get angry when you do not pick up the phone. As if you never have the right to turn it off. Now, when I get home, I leave my cell phone in a closet and I do not pick it up unless they call, ”says Sergio.

Disruption and confusion when recording and organizing tasks and communications

But the inability to disconnect from the workplace is only one major drawback of using WhatsApp in the work environment. This is an important point in the structure of any company: monitoring and documenting files, agendas and tasks. “It simply came to our notice then. There is no order. Individual conversations take place when there are 20 other people in the group. People often complain because those people speak for another site. I ‘ve had to delete conversations for a while, and I’m not judging anything there, because in the end you do not know who answered and who you do not, ”says Sergio.

For Martinez Pratel, it is important to remember that “WhatsApp is not for organization and documentation purposes, but for quick communication over the phone.” “He assures us that he offers specific tools for these needs Bigger benefits and utilities than WhatsApp, What Slack, Microsoft teams Skype Business ”.

This computer expert and digital technologist explains that “it is very easy to lose information or documentation on a mobile device, Because WhatsApp does not store information on its servers, Or at least not allowed to download after a while, so If any device crashes, the information contained in it will be lost, Loss or theft ”.

Not only that. Mixing a business communication channel with one’s personal life can lead to more than one compromising mistake or misunderstanding. “We are confused between company groups and personal and personal contacts.. I had to write directly to a colleague about a dismissal, which I wrote in a public group chat. The girl, who was questioned as to who should be expelled, was surprised and asked for an explanation. A lot of people make mistakes and send personal photos through chats and then delete them, but it’s a disaster if others see it before, ”says Sergio.

In addition, it recognizes that in many cases bad practices that infringe on the privacy of consumers are taking place in order to save time. “We attach documents and take photos of computer screens where clients’ personal data is displayed and share it via WhatsApp. This is not professional because sometimes the data may end up somewhere else, ”he says.

According to the Data Protection Regulation, Express consent is required for the purpose and communication channel of the Company. That is, The client must have expressed a desire to process his or her data. In addition, the company should pay special attention when using groups, because in such cases personal information is shared, ”explains Martinez Pratel.

President Fernando Suarez General Council of Professional Associations in Computer Engineering of Spain, Acknowledges the risks involved in sharing customer data on WhatsApp. “You need to take into account a range of factors, such as the type of data and the network on which it communicates. Doing this over a company’s WiFi is not the same as doing it over a shared public WiFi, but the level of protection of devices,” Suarez explains. He continues: “In my opinion, this channel is not recommended under any circumstances, because that information is still on the device, and there are risks of this happening.”

When work follows you home … and so do your friends

Sonia is an office lawyer who uses WhatsApp to communicate, schedule and organize meetings. He has had a similar experience. “It is not uncommon for a client to call me at night to ask me any questions Or my co-workers give me jobs outside of working hours, ”he says. “If they send you an email, you always have an excuse to say you could not see it until you got home, or wait until the next day when you get to the office. But with WhatsApp they have got the excuse to write to you anytime, and more if they see you online. Also, you often feel bad for reading the message and not replying to it, ”he adds.

Suarez reflects: “It is true that a time of rest and disconnection influences my personal opinion, but in a society where we tend to telework and reconcile, I believe that in many cases they do not correspond to the right of disconnection.”

Screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation.

In addition, this lawyer has experienced how personal life and work go hand in hand while working in the office. “If you have everything on the same mobile, even if you do not want to get involved in personal problems during the working day, you always avoid conversations with friends and family, it is impossible not to participate in them. Or you are at a work meeting, for example your mother calls you, ”he says.

“We were able to reduce the rate of distraction WhatsApp Web. Before typing five words on the computer, pick up the cell phone, type five words, pick up the cell phone. If you are not a little clean you will always jump on the mobile bandwagon. This distracts you a little, but as soon as you see the number, even if you are doing something important, You get excited and look to see who sent whatSonia says.

Another shortcoming for Suarez is, “You can use an‘ everything ’; Using it for a specific communication is no better than using it instead of mail or telephone., Because it’s between the possibilities of the first (attach files, combine with calendar, …) and the immediate of the second. If we receive a message on a shared work-personal account, we never know what kind of response it will receive, so the vast majority of users will try to see it immediately. ”

WhatsApp messages are also legal evidence

One of the most desirable experiences on WhatsApp at the corporate level is Roberto – imaginary name a, a lawyer. But this time as a client and personally. He was preparing to renovate an apartment he had bought a few months ago. To do this, he contacted a company dedicated to housing renovation. After signing the reform agreement and supporting documents, they informed him that WhatsApp would conduct the communications.

So, Roberto was invited to a group chat, in which people gradually got together. “First came the painter, then the electrician, a plumber, all from different companies. I did not give credit. A few days later they showed me different colors and marble or wood in photographs. I didn’t need to go see the play for months because they did it all through chat. They sent their budgets and contract service sheets there, ”says Roberto. “One day I was in critical condition and I saw them in the same building to see the results because I’m tired of WhatsApp.”

Suras emphasizes precautions when using WhatsApp to contract services and maintain privacy. “Like all communication, That is the proof that gives a proof That too Significant at the judicial level. But there is a lot of justice to be done in this, because forensic analysis of the evidence is not the same as printing screenshots of conversations and manipulating them easily, but they have already been used at the judicial level. ” He concludes: “You have to be very clear about useful cases, it can be a comfortable and useful tool, not everything I said before. Among its virtues, ease of use becomes a limitation, ”the expert concludes.

Images | Pixby