Instant Messaging Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policies, Security, and Legal Issues for Safe IM Communication

IM Rule # 6: Unauthorized, Unrestricted Instant Messaging Use Is Simply Bad Practice.

It’s not uncommon for employees to use IM without the knowledge of management. Responsible employers have an obligation to discover whether or not employees are using IM, under what circumstances they are using it, with whom they are chatting, and what type of content they are sending and receiving. The risks inherent in unmanaged IM use are too great to ignore.