Collaborative messaging app use

FOI ref: FOI/2022/4591

You asked

I am writing to request the following information under the FOI Act.

1. Do you use one or more collaborative messaging apps?

2. Please supply:

2.1. a list of names of those apps, and

2.2. the total number of your employees and workers who are registered for each app.

3. Please provide a list names of public channels in those apps which are used primarily for non-work purposes / socialising among employees.

4. To the extent that these are set in the apps, please also provide the following for each channel in Q3:

4.1. Channel topic

4.2. Channel description

4.3. The number of members in that channel.

We said

Thank you for your request. Please see the following answers to your questions.

Q1

Do you use one or more collaborative messaging apps?

Yes.

Q2

Please supply:

2.1. A list of names of those apps:

Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Yammer, Slack

2.2. The total number of your employees and workers who are registered for each app:

• Teams/Yammer - Approx. 6000k
• Slack - approx. 900 billable users

Q3

Please provide a list names of public channels in those apps which are used primarily for non-work purposes / socialising among employees.

• Microsoft Teams is used only for work purposes.
• Microsoft Yammer is used for non-work purposes.

Q4

To the extent that these are set in the apps, please also provide the following for each channel.

4.1. Channel topic

4.2. Channel description

4.3. The number of members in that channel.

Please see the associated download named 'ONS_Yammer_Social_Groups.pdf' listing the groups primarily used for socialising and their channel descriptions (where available). Personal data has been redacted from this document under Section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

All Yammer activity is governed by our social media policy and personal use of social channels during working time is not permitted.