The Hidden Risks of Employee Mobile Communication: Why You Need Real-Time Monitoring

We live in a fast-paced, hyper-connected society where mobile communication is indispensable, and workplaces are not indifferent. With smartphones, employees can communicate on the go, manage workflows, engage with clients, and collaborate with team members across different locations.

While mobile communication has enhanced productivity immensely, it also poses hidden risks that many companies are slow or often fail to recognize. If not properly managed, these risks can lead to significant consequences such as data breaches, loss of intellectual property, and decreased productivity.

Real-time monitoring of employee mobile communication is emerging as a crucial tool for mitigating these risks and protecting the integrity of businesses.

Understanding the Shift in Employee Mobile Communication

Since the past decade, mobile phones have transformed the dynamics of workplace environments. Previously, almost all the communication was done through wired phones, faxes, and emails. However, there was a marked shift with the emergence of digital technology. The shift got an unprecedented boost during the Covid pandemic, where companies globally had to be forced to work remotely.

Now, smartphones are ubiquitous tools of communication and work across offices around the world. Most employees use mobile phones for tasks such as texting, emailing, making calls, data collaboration, and using social media platforms for business purposes.

Almost 66% of employees admit to using their mobile phones several times during working hours. In many organizations, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies have further blurred the lines between personal and professional communication. According to Tech Report, more than 70% of employees in global markets are utilizing this policy.

The Hidden Risks of Mobile Communication in Workplaces

There is a lot of data and statistics to support how mobile communication has enhanced productivity within offices. However, several hidden risks are associated with cell phone use in the workplace.

Let us review them

Data Leaks and Security Breaches

One of the most significant risks associated with mobile use or communication is the potential for data leaks and security breaches. Employees might send sensitive company information, such as trade secrets, client data, or strategies, through SMS, instant messaging apps, or emails. Cybercriminals may exploit the company’s network to access mobile communication within the workplace and cause financial and reputational damage.

Unregulated Use of Messaging Apps

Many employees use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Skype, and Slack for professional and personal communication. While these software are convenient, how they are used may not comply with the data security standards of the company.

Furthermore, excessive and unregulated use of third-party messaging apps leads to unauthorized information sharing. This makes it difficult for an organization to track its communication channels.

Insider Threats

A disgruntled employee or those with malicious intent can easily use smartphones to share confidential information with rival companies. Insider threats are the most severe threats that companies face today.

The Insider Threat Report 2023 by Cybersecurity Insiders states that 74% of organizations are vulnerable to insider threats to some degree. These threats are particularly alarming as most of the time, they go unnoticed until significant damage has occurred.

Compliance Violations

Many industries, such as finance and healthcare, follow strict regulatory requirements for mobile communication and data privacy. Employees or workers who communicate using unverified channels often fail to follow company protocols and inadvertently violate the rules. However, the organization becomes liable to heavy fines and lawsuits due to non-compliance.

Productivity Loss

One of the common issues that numerous companies face today is the loss of productivity due to mobile use and communication. Employees are often found to spend excessive time on personal calls, social media, web surfing, or messaging during work hours.

All this activity, along with the flow of messages, notifications, and alerts, leads to reduced focus and output. In 2023, cell phone distraction caused a $15.5 billion loss to companies in the US.

Why Real-Time Monitoring is Essential

Employee mobile communication often leads to financial, operational, and reputational risks. Real-time mobile monitoring has become a critical tool for businesses to safeguard their operations.

Here’s why:

Preventing Data Breaches and Ensuring Security

Real-time monitoring helps the organization to track communication as it happens. If an employee tries to access confidential information or share sensitive data through unsecured channels, the system will flag the activity and alert the management. With increasing cyber threats, monitoring can help prevent data leaks and identify threats before they escalate.

Monitoring Unauthorized Use of Apps

Businesses can control unauthorized apps for work-related communication by implementing real-monitoring apps and systems. The monitoring systems can block access to certain apps and alert administrators when employees use non-compliant platforms for conversations.

It ensures that communication remains within company-approved channels and the risk of data leaks and compliance issues is minimized.

Identifying Insider Threats

As said earlier, insider threats remain the most serious challenges that organizations face. Real-time monitoring solutions can provide early detection of suspicious employee behavior.

This includes an employee accessing restricted files without authorization, sharing sensitive data with outside parties, and downloading large amounts of information. Flagging these activities can help a company swiftly mitigate the risk before any harm occurs.

Boosting Productivity

Monitoring software helps companies keep track of employee activity throughout the workday. These apps have innovative algorithms that identify behavioral patterns that may indicate a lack of productivity.

By tracking real-time communication, internet usage, and task completion, employers can gain insights into how employees spend their time and where their inefficiencies may lie.

Ensuring Compliance with Regulations

One of the key purposes of implementing monitoring solutions and systems is to ensure that employees comply with the regulations. This minimizes the risk of violations that could lead to hefty fines, legal consequences, and reputational damage.

Monitoring software can also ensure that employees do not use personal devices or unverified applications to handle sensitive client information.

Best Practices to Achieve Effective Monitoring

Employee monitoring is proving to be an effective tool for ensuring productivity, security, and compliance in the workplace worldwide. However, it is crucial to implement monitoring practices in an ethical, transparent, and legal way. It is important to achieve the benefits of monitoring without compromising trust or violating employee rights.

Here are some key best practices to consider and follow

Establish Clear and Transparent Policies

Transparency is necessary for successful employee monitoring. Companies need to develop clear policies that outline the purpose, scope, and methods of monitoring. The policies should be communicated to all employees so they understand how and why they are being monitored.

Key points for policies:

● Explain the reasons for monitoring (e.g., security, productivity, compliance).

● Specify what activities will be monitored (e.g., internet usage, emails, mobile communication).

● Define which devices or systems will be monitored.

● Outline the consequences for those who violate the policy.

Use Monitoring Tools

A company must use monitoring software that aligns with the organization's goals and respects employee privacy. A wide range of employee monitoring software is available, from time-tracking tools to more extensive ones that track communication, web usage, and data transfers. XNSPY is one particular app that can provide comprehensive employee monitoring. Its features include

● Email Monitoring: The app allows you to view all sent and received emails on the target device. It also provides access to the contents of the email, the contact name, and the date and time stamps, which can help identify and curb insider threats.

● Instant Messaging (IM) Monitoring: XNSPY tracks more than 12 IM apps, including popular ones like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat. You can view all the chats, content, and contact details.

● Internet History Logs: Review all the websites visited and their frequency. The app even provides history in Incognito mode and a list of Bookmarked websites.

● Call Log Tracking: View the phone call history with incoming, outgoing, and missed call lists. View the contact name and number along with the date and time of each call.

● 24/7 Alerts: Get notified immediately if any employee comes in contact with a certain email, uses suspicious words, or contacts particular numbers.

Limit Monitoring to Work-Related Activities

One of the most essential principles of monitoring is tracking only work-related activities. Personal activities, such as private emails, phone calls, or social media use outside of work hours, should not be monitored unless stated in the company’s policy. Monitoring should only focus on employee performance, security, and compliance at the workplace.

Leverage Data Analytics for Continuous Improvement

Data analytics is crucial to identifying employee work patterns and improving productivity. Employee monitoring provides insights into employee behavior, work habits, communication trends, and system usage.

With data analytics, managers can make informed decisions and provide actionable feedback to employees. Continuous monitoring and analysis will help an organization refine processes, ensure compliance, and develop an efficient and productive workplace.

Regularly Review and Update Monitoring Practices

The digital landscape and workplace settings are constantly evolving, which increases the need to review monitoring policies regularly. Changes and updates must be made according to technology, legal, and business requirements. Furthermore, employees and staff should be informed of any changes in the monitoring practices or tools being implemented.

Creating A Better Work Environment

The increased use of smartphones in workplaces is helping to address many work-related tasks. However, excessive and unmonitored use hides significant risks that organizations must manage. Some important ones include data breaches, distractions that lead to unproductivity, and insider threats.

Employee monitoring is an essential tool for modern workplaces. It helps protect company assets, improve productivity, and ensure compliance with regulations. However, to implement it, a company needs to define its rules, limit the scope of monitoring only to work-related activities, and regularly update its policies. Most importantly, a company needs to use a popular monitoring app that fulfills its criteria and helps monitor employees in a comprehensive way.