WhatsApp hack preventing profile photo unprofessionalism

Research from YourBusinessNumber has revealed that one in 10 people admit to judging a colleague or client due to their WhatsApp profile photo or status update, while a third are unaware that they can adjust their settings to prevent certain people viewing them.

Previous research by YourBuisnessNumber found that two thirds (66%) of us now communicate with clients and colleagues using instant message platforms such as WhatsApp, with a quarter of us doing so using our personal phones.

Their latest insight reveals that one in 10 of us have displayed a profile photo, or posted a status update, that could be considered inappropriate for work – a photo of a drunken night out, one showing some aspect of nudity, or a status that made politically fuelled statements or used offensive language.

What’s more, one in 10 of us also admit to judging a colleague or client because of something they have posted in their WhatsApp status, or due to their profile photo.

Despite this, a third of us aren’t aware that WhatsApp has a setting that will only allow those saved in our contact list to view our profile photo or status.

34% also stated they didn’t realise they could tailor their settings so that certain contacts were unable to see their profile photo or status updates.

But there is an easier way to prevent a picture painting a thousand words of a negative nature amongst your colleagues and/or clients, as George Lineker, Co-founder of YourBusinessNumber, explains..

“We’re all guilty of sharing some suspect photos and status updates via the plethora of social media platforms available today. WhatsApp is no different, as it bridges the gap between a social media profile and a channel of communication.

Unfortunately, for many of us, this channel of communication doubles up in both a personal and professional capacity and so what we share with our friends is also often seen by clients and colleagues.

There are ways around this and by heading to your privacy settings, you can prevent individual contacts from viewing those professionally inappropriate photos and status updates, although this a long and laborious process.

What’s more, using your personal WhatsApp account for work is actually a breach of their user terms and you could well find you’re also breaching your workplace GDPR policy. Your best bet is to separate both aspects of your life via the WhatsApp business app. While this does require an additional account, purchasing a secondary business number is a quick and affordable workaround to having a second handset.”

Data Tables
Survey of 1,100 UK Population carried out by ProperPR on behalf of YourBusinessNumber via consumer research platform Find Out Now (10th June 2022).

See the full data tables here.