Removing former employees from Whatsapp groups

[DevonshireDumpling1]

I’ve recently joined a company in the last couple of weeks, I’m currently in my training period and will be taking over my site ( I will be the Branch Manager) from January.
I have been added to the team WhatsApp group already and it’s come to my attention that an employee who left months ago is still in the group for the social aspect?
I have spoken to the person I am replacing and they’ve advised me not to remove them as it is likely to cause friction in the team.
AIBU to remove this said person from the group when I take over? Company confidential information is shared in this group and I personally think that no ex-employees should be on it. Any tips to avoid ruffling the feathers when I first take over?

Start a new group with current members, they can keep the old group just for social then.

It is not your WhatsApp group, so it isn't up to you who is in it.

Can you just make a new WhatsApp group for current employees and let the old one rumble on as a social chat?

I wouldn't add yourself to that chat. Instead I would start a new one with all team members and not ex employee and use that for work. Tell them the other chat can be non work related social chat

I don't think you can remove if you're not the admin/starter of group?
As others have said, start your own group, welcome your team etc.

@Motnight - It is the team Whatsapp group. Not a social one. It’s used for sharing work related information for just employees only?

Start a new group up with you as admin and only add current team members.
I'm surprised confidential company information is being shared in a WhatsApp group with ex employees to be honest.

Why are you asking here when you've already been told by your work place? It seems you've just started and already trying to ruffle feathers. I agree re sharing company info, but it doesn't sound like it's your decision to make?

Start a new group. You will create unnecessary bad feeling and make life harder for yourself.

Unusual to use a social media like WhatsApp for official or internal business affairs to begin with, isn't it? YANBU

Thank them for adding you to the existing group - perhaps participate in some general chat. Then explain that for GDPR reasons, work-related messages need to be kept to existing team members, so you'll set up a separate WhatsApp for work-related messages only (or even a different means of communication - I'm not sure WhatsApp is ideal).

Log your dissatisfaction with someone higher up in case it goes tit's up later and then either start a new group or remove yourself from the old group.

Don't know your line of work, but I'd be booting anyone not involved with the company on gdpr grounds if company business is being discussed that could involve clients data.

But it's the person whose leaving who has told her that. And if it ever becomes a problem that company information is being shared with an ex employee then the OP won't be able to pin the blame on the old manager, it will the OP who gets into trouble.

OP is the person you are replacing expecting to also stay in the group? Is it possible they are telling you not to remove ex employees because they want the gossip still.

I would just remove the ex employee if you have the admin rights and if anyone complains tell them its for security reasons. If you don't have admin access then as people have said set up a new group.

What she said

There no way I would use WhatsApp to share confidential information

It's becoming common, I know of multiple employers who started using it over lockdown. It's not really social media like tiktok/twitter/Facebook but a messaging app like you could do on Microsoft teams

Rishi, is that you?

I work on a big team with a steady turnover. If someone leaves, say on a Friday, managers have removed them from the WhatsApp group by Monday morning at the latest.
Make sure someone makes you an admin of the group and remove the ex-employee when you take over. If anyone mentions it, tell them the group is for current staff only.
Your colleagues can start a new group with this person if they want to chat socially.

Just start a new group. Say you’ll be using the new group and that group only to communicate work-related information. Remove yourself from the old one - if they want to use it for socialising, they can.

Yep, they should be removed. We have a WhatsApp group for work. Confidential information is shared about children (initials used only) so anyone that no longer works with us is removed.

If you're coming in from outside, it should actually be easier for you to implement this as a neutral policy. You have no axes to grind, no interest in gossip etc, so, unlike someone who's been there a while, you can't be accused of removing someone because you don't like them; you'd just be putting in practice a reasonable and sensible business policy. I wouldn't use GDPR as a reason though, unless you do "collect and/or process" personal data that falls within the definition of the regulations. Company sensitive information isn't always covered by GDPR. Just call it company confidential information which may not be shared outside the company. Remind them that this is the official company team group, but people are welcome to create other social groups.

For those less familiar with WhatsApp groups and admin rights, you don't need to be the creator of the group to be the admin, although the creator has admin rights by default at first. An admin can appoint any other member as an admin, and also remove admin rights from a member. Therefore, the creator of a group can quite easily not be the administrator, or they can even leave the group. It's quite easy for the OP to be added to the team group, be made an admin, and become the sole admin when the person they're taking over from leaves or by removing their admin rights. They would have total control over the entire group and its members.

I think you should wait until you actually start and give it a few weeks before changing a whole bunch of things that you might be unaware of (considering you've already been told it will cause friction).
The idea of creating a new one for work information and keeping the old one for social sounds like a good compromise

Yes this. You think through what’s acceptable - as branch manager allowing confidential information to be provided to non employees is not, so that action is locked in. The only question is to remove them or to start a new one and start a new one sounds easier. If you would rather remove them suggest a few days or a weeks notice; something like
Hi all as part of the review I’ve done while onboarding I’ve realise the whatsapp group contains former employees and also has work information shared on it- this can’t happen. Each of you would be just as liable for any information you shared on the group just as if you personally mailed it to ex employees, so I’m sure you get it! I can see it’s a nice social circle so I’m going to wait a week then ask admin to remove all non current employees, please use this week to save their details elsewhere so you can start a social chat. During this week * NO ONE MAY SHARE ANY WORK INFORMATION ON THE WHATSAPP GROUP*
please ensure you don’t accidentally do this- you may again in a week but this week you would be in breach of our company policies on information sharing.
thanks all!!

Confidential information is shared about children on WhatsApp, I've heard it all now!