U.K. Firms Have Dismissed Employees for Breaching Cybersecurity Policy Since COVID-19 Pandemic

Almost two-fifths of business decision-makers have fired employees because of a cybersecurity policy breach since the pandemic began, a survey has found.

The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Centrify, polled 200 UK business decision-makers and found more than half of firms believed that working from home made employees more likely to circumvent security protocols – including through the use of personal laptops and failing to change passwords.

To combat poor employee security practices, more than half (55 per cent) of those surveyed had banned, or planned to ban, staff from using personal devices to work from home.

Commenting on the findings, Kirsty Rogers, employment partner at DWF, said it was imperative employers revisited their data security protocols in light of widespread home working.

“There is no doubt that extra precautions must be put in place now that workforces are working remotely,” Rogers said. “Before the pandemic, [employers allowing] working from home or more flexible working had systems in place to ensure that employees working outside of the office had added protections in terms of data security and expected conduct.”

Employers need to communicate that the same principles of data protection apply at home as in the office, including that a breach could lead to severe disciplinary action, Rogers added. “The importance of securing data and directing employees accordingly cannot be underestimated as the employer could find themselves responsible for significant data breaches if they have not taken appropriate steps to protect it,” she said.

New-school security awareness training can ensure your users can spot the common red flags as they continue to work from home. 

People Management has the full story.