A recent study by Czech security software firm Safetica has found that a third of employees admitted to using social media on their company computer during work hours, with another 12 percent admitted to taking home company files or emailing them to a private email, Workplace Savings and Benefits notes.
Obviously, not all of these problems can be completely eliminated—short of blocking websites, using social media on the job can be hard to control, and there are some instances where working on documents at home is a necessity. But that doesn’t mean businesses can’t manage their data and security risk.
How to Enforce a Security Policy
Both the use of social media at work and employees taking home important documents can be traced back to one thing: company policy. And as a business whose job it is to maintain the integrity of your employees and clients—and their sensitive data, there are a few steps you should take on the front end:
- Establish a clear security policy
Many instances of employees taking home documents and improperly using social media at work can be attributed to ignorance. If your employees aren’t clear on your policies regarding these issues, they are more likely to make mistakes. Here are several different examples of companies’ social media policies. - Work with your employees
Keeping in mind the above, don’t be too strict in your policies regarding these issues, specifically with social media. A more conservative approach to taking documents at home is a safe approach—especially for documents containing personal information—but the same policy regarding social media can sometimes be problematic. - Make the information and security risks clear
When explaining information and security policies to your employees, make sure to explain the risks. Addressing these risks will help make your security policies clearer. There are serious business risks that come with using personal computers at home, and making those risks clear to employees is critical to the successful implementation of your security plan.
After your business has established those guidelines, there is one more thing you can do to combat improper usage of documents: offer shredding and electronic device destruction if you don’t already.
Employees who are working with documents at home need to adhere to the same security requirements as businesses themselves—shredding included. If paper shredding is difficult or out of the way for employees, it’s likely that they won’t take the effort to do it. To combat this, try to:
- Offer free—and secure—document shredding for your employees
- Make document shredding convenient
- Address the data and information risks that come with working at home
We Can Help
DataShield can help come up with a customized plan for maintaining office security (both in and out of the office), and will work long-term to make sure the plan is effective. Our work goes beyond shredding, and we will take the extra step to make sure your documents stay secure. With a history of serving companies of all sizes throughout Nebraska and Iowa, DataShield provides paper shredding, record management, electronic recycling, and data destruction services.
For more information on how we can help, contact us today.
