Dive Brief:
- Eighty percent of workers favor messaging tools over email to improve communication and productivity, according to a Symphony survey. Additionally, a large majority of the 1,569 U.S. and U.K. respondents said they believe their sensitive data shared on these platforms is safe from breaches.
- Survey results found that 69% of respondents said email overwhelms them on the job. About half want to schedule meetings using messaging tools instead of email and want to keep internal conversations off of email, results showed.
- Respondents also reported behavior that can lead to security risks. One quarter said they share confidential information via messaging platforms, and 78% said they wouldn't mind if their communications were publicly exposed online, Symphony said.
Dive Insight:
Email is a demand on workers' time that can interfere with daily productivity and even after-hours routines. Respondents' preference for an alternative to email is understandable, but employers must consider which communication tools will keep workers engaged and productive, how to ensure data remains secure and if they can make the necessary transformation.
The kinds of tools employees use are useless if they don't lower their risk for security breaches. A recent Mimecast survey found that less than half of employers put their workers through mandatory cybersecurity training that could minimize risk. When employees are allowed to use their own devices for work, the risks can be even greater. According to a 2017 Dtex Systems report, 95% of employers have workers try to breach network security systems. Employers must be mindful that some insurers won't cover security breaches caused by workers.
Training workers to avoid breaches from external sources and creating and enforcing policies that prohibit internally caused breaches are critical to lessen employers' risks. HR can team up with IT to draft cybersecurity policies and develop training programs to protect the business and employees' personal data.
