25 July 2007
Employee comments online are proving a worry
Blogging and social networking policy violations are leading to dismissals.
More than one in five companies have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies in the last year, according to research from e-mail security solutions provider Proofpoint. Of these companies, half have terminated an employee for such a violation.
One in five companies have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies in the last year.
Similarly, over 20% have investigated the exposure of confidential, sensitive or private information via a blog or message board posting.
Social networks leading to problems
The research, derived from a study of 308 e-mail decision makers at
US enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, also highlights concerns
around social networking sites and media sharing using peer-to-peer
software.
For example:
- In the past 12 months, 14% of surveyed companies have disciplined
an employee for violating social networking policies and nearly 5%
have terminated an employee for such a violation.
While it’s a common concern, the majority of companies are unprepared for the rise in public online communications by employees.
- In the past 12 months, 11% of surveyed companies have disciplined an employee for violating media sharing policies and 6.8% have terminated an employee for such a violation.
Most firms need specific policies
“Potential risks” are often cited when discussing social media
implementation. But, while it’s a common concern, the majority
of companies are unprepared for the rise in public online communications by
employees. Research
by Melcrum revealed earlier
this year that some 70% of the 2,000 corporate communicators surveyed said
their organization had no specific policy on employees blogging or commenting
in other public, online forums.
The full 15-page report on the study of outbound e-mail and content security issues is available from the Proofpoint website.
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