Employers should set clear boundaries and expectations when it comes to work-related WhatsApp group chats to avoid burnout or excluded staff members.

That’s according to Excel Recruitment, who conducted a survey on the stress employees have relating to work group chats.

Some 58% of employees feel obliged to answer a message from colleagues outside of work hours, creating a feeling of being 'permanently on call'.

If they didn’t reply, 32% of respondents were concerned they would get in trouble at work.

Feeling tied to work constantly has led to a rising feeling in frustration among employees, with one in four respondents saying it was one of the main reasons that they had previously left a job. 

Boundaries

Excel Recruitment Managing Director Shane McLave said companies should have a proper WhatsApp policy and set boundaries about what sort of content finds its way into it.

“It's really important that we have boundaries,” he said. “People need to be able to opt in or opt out or up to take a break. And there shouldn't be any kind of negative come back on people.

“It's a little bit like the Christmas party - you have many cases over the years with employment law where something has happened as a function outside of the workplace, but it's still winds up in the WRC.

“You have to be aware of that there's a possibility that can be pulled in or linked into something that you didn't even know about.” 

Inclusion

As well as setting boundaries for when employees do not have to respond, employers should ensure no one is excluded from work-related group chats.

“It goes both ways, I think it's really important that we make the clear difference between an official work WhatsApp group that's used for official messages, and one that may be set up by colleagues,” he said.

“The employer ultimately will be held responsible for certain things that could happen in the WhatsApp group they may not even know about it. That's really important to be aware of.”