Is it just me or is WhatsApp culture out of control?

WhatsApp culture is becoming invasive, rude and unprofessional

Maybe it is just me but does anyone else find WhatsApp is out of control? I have received some of the strange behaviours on WhatsApp. I used to think the worse possible thing on Whatsapp was unknown numbers sending sales messages. But now it is at an all time high of inappropriate and impersonal linked with a dash of unprofessional behaviour. Here are some recent engagements that have completely thrown me off the deep end of wanting to use Whatsapp – don’t get me wrong, my team use whatsapp to communicate with clients but they ask for their whatsapp and then say they will send information.

1.      When you are engaging in an email conversation with a business associate that you don’t know and they randomly whatsapp you at an odd time with a question. This is invasive and feels like showing up at my door unannounced. Mental health is important in this already highly accessible day and age.

2.      Having conversations with your boss. I get the worse toned messages from my coach’s on whatsapp, sometimes I think ‘who the F’ do they think they are? The messages have come as a threat to quit, as a control mechanism and others have been like they own the place – to try to get rules adjusted to what they want. But face to face they are calm, respectful and open discussions. The point is, Whatsapp is impersonal and adds an element of inappropriate ‘courage’ – that comes off downright rude and disrespectful.

3.      Text can lack tone or have too much and be misinterpreted – plus it is an on-the-go communication tool, so many times I have read a message completely wrong as I was driving or in the middle of a stressful moment. This is why invading someone’s digital mental space is inconsiderate and shouldn’t be used for tense conversations, with unknown contacts or for big changes.

4.      I had a team member quit by whatsapp on a Saturday night. No warning, no phone call, and she was on sick leave. Obviously I invest in every team member a huge amount of time, money and publicity – so I was always going to be hit hard by such a move and to not even give me the time of face to face or even a phone call – is again, unprofessional and feels disrespectful. No matter whether I think the reasons are right, or they needed to do this – it is always how you communicate that could change the world, or in this case – a hard situation into a less hard one.

5.      The worse one is suppliers messaging me asking for payment, or better yet – I had a credit card agent for a big bank, who was preparing my documents for a card -  WhatsApp me about my profile picture at 10pm at night.

6.      Pick the time you message and what your message is. I get messages from my team asking for commission money to be transferred at 6am! – seems like the worse way to start my day.

As a leader, it isn’t like you are not constantly bombarded with demanding texts, funny how Whatsapp has become an absolute nightmare for me. Either, someone ignores my message when I need something or just want to actually use the messenger for some actual conversation – but it is now a way to invade my mental space at all hours of the day, and any time of the week. I have never been so offended than when WhatsApp was created and will consider removing myself from it shortly if it doesn’t start to change. To be honest, I will probably get a second phone and only my friends will know it. My assistant can manage my other one, there has to be a wall of protection – because there a days when it is really too much.

My creativity to grow the business and focus on hard decisions, creating systems & processes are completely destroyed when there are messages like any of the above….sliding into my WhatsApp. I have tried ignoring, but I can see it in my mind. My mind is complex, that it can’t have unfinished business lingering – it is a gift when completing tasks but a nightmare when I have unanswered emails, texts or returning phone calls.

I have started to develop ways to address this but is it just me?