Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Financial servicesLatest NewsConfidentialityComputer misuse

NatWest blocks messaging apps for work communications

by Jo Faragher 13 Nov 2024
by Jo Faragher 13 Nov 2024 The bank is concerned that non-approved channels may make it difficult to retrieve important communications
Shutterstock/lesyeuxde.er
The bank is concerned that non-approved channels may make it difficult to retrieve important communications
Shutterstock/lesyeuxde.er

NatWest has blocked WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype on company devices in the UK, telling employees that they must use ‘approved channels’ to communicate with each other.

The bank has blocked access to the platforms on work phones and computers amid concerns that messages sent through them are not always fully retrievable.

WhatsApp messages are encrypted and can be set to disappear, for example, while messages sent through approved business channels are more likely to be transparent and retrievable.

In a statement, the company said: “Like many organisations, we only permit the use of approved channels for communicating about business matters, whether internally or externally.” The measure has been in place for a number of weeks.

Work communications

HSBC Holdings employees under scrutiny for WhatsApp use 

Is it time to move the goalposts on social media? 

In August, it was reported that banking regulator the Financial Conduct Authority is considering a probe into how employees in the sector use messaging services.

The FCA issued banks with a survey about how their staff use encrypted messaging services and whether this had impacted risk levels.

Banks in the US have received fines over record-keeping rules after workers were unable to retrieve old messages. For example, in 2022, HSBC Holdings was investigated by US regulators to ensure employees’ use of such platforms was appropriate.

And in 2021, JPMorgan Chase received a $200 million fine for failing to keep track of employees’ use of private apps and personal emails.

Here in the UK, Ofgem fined Morgan Stanley £5.4 million last year for failing to record and retain electronic trading communications after traders used WhatsApp to communicate about wholesale energy trading.

Staff at NatWest have been advised for several years not to use certain channels to discuss business matters, but have not been prohibited from doing so.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR opportunities in Accountancy, Banking, Finance and Insurance on Personnel Today


Browse more HR opportunities in Accountancy, Banking, Finance and Insurance

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Post Office jobs at risk under restructure plans
next post
The Range could rescue 70 Homebase stores

You may also like

Government rejects ban of NDAs in sexual harassment...

15 May 2024

What are the lessons for business from the...

26 Apr 2024

HSBC Holdings employees under scrutiny for WhatsApp use

23 Feb 2022

Pregnant employee awarded £10k after colleague accessed patient...

3 Sep 2021

Coronavirus: What employers need to know (webinar)

19 Mar 2020

Prevent use of NDAs for discrimination and harassment...

11 Jun 2019

Nine steps to complying with the 2018 trade...

29 Oct 2018

Morrisons data breach: Could the supermarket have done...

24 Oct 2018

Morrisons payroll data breach judgment a ‘wake-up call’...

22 Oct 2018

Morrisons payroll data breach reaches Court of Appeal

9 Oct 2018

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+