Chapter 16: Employee Compliance Is Key to Successful Instant Messaging Policy

It is not enough to establish a rule, draft a policy, review it once with employees, and then store it on a shelf in the human resource director’s office. That type of passive approach tells employees that the organization does not take its own policies seriously. So why should employees comply with them? ^[1]

Your Employees Have the Right to Work in an Environment Free from Harassment, Discrimination, and Hostility

Employee training will play a valuable role in communicating to staff that the organization’s IM management program exists as much for the benefit of the individual employee as for the organization as a whole.

Because of the relative newness of IM risks, rules, and policies, the most effective way to notify employees of your IM policy program is in person. Depending upon the size of your organization, you may want to hold a single group meeting for all employees. Larger organizations may opt for a series of smaller meetings, held over a period of days.

^[1]Nancy Flynn, The ePolicy Handbook, New York, AMACOM, 2001.