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A growing risk in electronic chat.Navigation: Main page Author: Karamally, Laila Section: Out Front
Subpoenas on the rise Most companies scan e-mail, but few have policies for instant messages AMERICAN EMPLOYERS are facing an escalating risk of ending up in court because of the contents of employee e-mail. Yet they are failing to effectively monitor and control risky electronic communication within the office, which often contains jokes, porn and confidential company information. Results of a recent survey of 840 companies by the American Management Institute show that 20 percent of respondents have had electronic communications subpoenaed, a 7 percent hike over results from a similar survey in 2003. Thirteen percent of employers are battling litigation triggered by electronic communication. The AMI report, conducted with The ePolicy Institute, notes that despite the alarming figures, 65 percent of employers do not have an e-mail retention policy in place and 94 percent do not retain or archive internal instant-messaging business records. "First, companies have failed to manage the growing volume of electronic communication and define what constitutes a business record in e-mail and instant messaging," says ePolicy Institute executive director Nancy Flynn. "Anything that relates to the operations of the company, be it sales, hiring or performance issues, must be retained and archived. Non-business records should be deleted." A deeper issue, Flynn says, is that companies are practicing different standards for internal and external e-mail. More than 50 percent of instant-messaging users say they send or receive risky content, including jokes, porn, gossip and confidential company information, but only 20 percent of employers have policies to govern intra-office electronic chat. And while 60 percent of employers scan incoming and outgoing e-mail, only 27 percent monitor internal electronic conversations among their own employees. "What people used to say in the heat of the moment across the desk is now said in instant messaging," says Dan Johnson, a partner at McKenna, Long and Aldridge in Washington, D.C., who practices employment law and litigation for high-tech companies. "These exchanges can often be misconstrued or used out of context and provide fertile ground for e-mail litigation." "Companies need to take a proactive stance and prevent abuse," Flynn notes, adding that training about instant-messaging content and frequency should be followed up with enforcement, using both software and disciplinary action. In 2004, 25 percent of respondents had fired an employee for violating e-mail policy, up from the 2003 figure of 23 percent. THE HOT LIST
TOP REWARD & RECOGNITION PROVIDERS
Ranked according to number of client companies
Legend for Chart:
A - RANK
B - Company Web address
C - Non-monetary rewards and recognition programs available
through the company
D - Number of client companies currently using using these
programs
E - Company revenues for the most recent four quarters
F - Key clients
A B C
D E
F
1. TERRYBERRY COMPANY Provides lapel pins,
www.terryberry.com award rings, watches
and more than 1,000
other personalized
awards.
> 20,000 $25
million
WND(*)
2. AMERICAN EXPRESS Provides stored-value
INCENTIVE SERVICES cards and American
www.aeis.com Express® Gift
Cheques for reward,
recognition and
consumer programs.
> 10,000 WND
Mack Trucks, Royce
Builders, Airgas Safety
3. O.C. TANNER Offers service and
RECOGNITION COMPANY performance awards
www.octanner.com and other incentives
and online recognition
tools.
8,693 $300
million
Marriott, Johnson &
Johnson, Avis, T. Rowe
Price, Sara Lee,
Weyerhaeuser
4. BENNETT BROTHERS, INC. Providers of the
www.BennettBrothers.com Choose-Your-Gift®
Selective gift program
which comes in 14
price levels with name
brand items in each
level.
8,000 > $25
million
AFLAC, Caesars
Entertainment, DeVry
Institute of Technology,
Brown & Williamson
5. INCENTONE Integrated reward,
www.incentone.com recognition and
incentive solutions,
gift certificates
and gift cards.
> 4,500 $72
million
NBC, Coca-Cola,
Citibank, Verizon, Sears
6. THE THARPE COMPANY, INC. Supplier of
www.tharpe.com choice-based,
Web-enabled,
recognition award
programs.
2,400 > $45
million
WND
7. MARITZ INC. Designs and operates
www.maritz.com reward and recognition
programs, using travel,
merchandise and
stored-value award cards.
380 $550
million
Shell, HON, Sun
Microsystems,
General Motors,
JPMorgan Chase,
Caterpillar, Marriott
8. CARLSON MARKETING GROUP Provides design and
www.carlsonmarketing.com implementation for
reward and recognition
programs, highly
customized travel
rewards programs,
merchandise awards.
> 300 WND
Bell South, Daimler
Chrysler, HP,
State Farm, Verizon
9. MARKETING INNOVATORS Provides travel, gift
INTERNATIONAL, INC certificates and
www.marketinginnovators. award
commerchandise programs.
247 $87
million
WND
10. RIDEAU RECOGNITION Offers service awards
SOLUTIONS programs, performance
www.rideau.com awards programs and
corporate merchandise.
> 150 WND
Alcan, Best Buy,
Lucent Technologies,
Molson, Levi Strauss
& Co.
(*) WND: Would not disclose
PHOTO (COLOR) ~~~~~~~~ By Laila Karamally in the Fair Use guidelines of the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act. info [at] singlearticles.com Powered by CommonSense |
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