Employers who mistakenly view IM as an ‘‘emerging’’ technology can no longer afford to remain in the dark about employees’ IM use. Instant messaging is here, and here to stay. By 2006, e-mail usage will have declined by 40 percent, thanks to increased IM use. [1] Employers who fail to manage IM today will tomorrow face legal and regulatory challenges and will have to make decisions that impact employee productivity and company security—that is, potentially expensive decisions.
[1]Brian Deagon, ‘‘Top Brass Slow to Embrace InstantMessaging Technology—Explaining IM Benefits,’’ Investor’s Business Daily (July 2, 2003).