Is cyber security stress increasing staff turnover?

While cyber security is a top priority for most businesses, many approaches to securing a business can actually increase the chance of an incident. This is especially the case for  security approaches that revolve around an increasing number of  tools and processes which inevitably sees employee’s daily workflows made ever more clunky and confusing.

Add to the mix a culture of blame, in which every employee is seen as a potential security threat, and it’s easy to see how cybersecurity is often synonymous with pressure and stress. This in turn leads to a more stressful working environment and higher turnover.

According to a study by the Infosec Institute, nearly 91% of surveyed cybersecurity professionals report feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated by the changing demands of their role, with little room for, or guidance around, professional development and upskilling opportunities. It should come as no surprise, then, that a report by Help Net Security found that 64% of cyber security leaders have seen a rise in staff turnover, with 20% of cyber security professionals considering leaving their current role in the near future.

How to create a healthy cyber security culture

Building a strong, healthy, and employee-centric security culture is critical to reducing employee stress and increasing job satisfaction. This involves creating a work environment where employees feel supported and empowered to make decisions that prioritize security, without bloating their daily responsibilities or interrupting workflows. 

Here are a few ways to build a healthy security culture:

• Leadership buy-in: Leaders should prioritize cybersecurity, lead by example, and encourage their employees to take cybersecurity seriously. Rather than building a fear culture, however, leadership must commit to empowering employees and working with them to improve security, rather than vilifying them as potential security threats.
• Non-disruptive security tools: Sophisticated and user-centric security tools can improve email security without contributing to employee stress and burnout. If a security solution can be used without disrupting employee workflows, it will be much more effective.
• Employee training and development: In addition to empowering security tools, regular training sessions can help employees stay up-to-date on the latest threats and security best practices. Providing continuous learning and upskilling opportunities can also keep employees engaged and motivated in their role.

What makes Zivver a stress-free email security solution

Over 7000 organizations worldwide choose Zivver to empower their employees to protect sensitive data and avoid the leading causes of data incidents. Our Secure Email and Secure File Transfer solutions boost security without contributing to employee stress by supporting users to identify and correct email errors before they happen within the email clients they’re used to (Outlook, M365 and Gmail).

For example, our sophisticated Business Rules, powered by smart machine learning, alerts users when sensitive email content is about to be sent to a person that hasn’t received that type of information before, prompting them to apply the appropriate encryption levels if necessary, and double check the correct recipient has been selected (no more autofill errors with Zivver in play). 

And when a message is sent in error, users can recall the email quickly and easily, and then clearly see whether it was opened and by whom. Phew!

Zivver alleviates stress and pressure on employees, without sacrificing the effectiveness of your security measures. 

Learn more about how Zivver can support compliance with smart, effortless, and powerful email security. You can also download our Freedom to Focus report for a detailed look at how email security has affected the modern workplace.