Make Employees Your Front-line Asset

Cybercrime is on the rise, not only from outside, in the form of intellectual property theft, hacking, security breaches, and data theft, but from inside, as employees use ubiquitous computer access to commit workplace fraud, insider trading, even cyberstalking. Aside from the loss to company profits, an employer can be held vicariously liable for some employee acts, if steps were not taken to curtail those actions.

Because so many business activities today rely heavily on computer data transfer, and allowing employees access to computers, hiring managers and department heads need to take proactive steps on the front end to prevent computer crime, and to enlist employees in the fight against cybercrime. 

• Best Hiring Practices.
  • Background checks are always critical, but especially in IT or other data-sensitive areas. Special attention should be paid to any history of “hacktivism” or borderline activity, beyond overt criminal behavior.
• Workplace Environment.
  • Much has been made of the so-called “workplace culture,” and in a time when younger employees are restless and always seeking new challenges, employers need to be aware of the interactions in their workplace and how they affect their employees. It may seem beyond obvious to say that satisfied employees do not steal from their employers, and yet this “obvious” statement often escapes many companies.
• Two-Way Communication Channels.
  • Perhaps the most critical element of preventing any type of workplace crime, open channels of communication in both directions are essential to detecting and fighting cybercrime. As a nearly invisible crime, the best detectors are those who see it happening at the moment it occurs – the employees themselves.

Avoid Scams and Fraud

Many employers and HR departments make the mistake of believing that today’s younger employees, the “Millennials” as they are sometimes called, are more tech-savvy than their predecessors. This is a mistake. They are as susceptible to email scams, phishing, hacking, and fraud as anyone else, mainly because the scams have evolved along with the users. The global cost of cybercrime will reach $2 trillion by 2019, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $500 billion.

These younger employees are just as likely as their older counterparts to underestimate the risks of fraudulent email, to open suspicious emails, to forget to lock their computer screens when they leave their computers, to send sensitive company documents through unsecured or unencrypted WiFi, and to leave their passwords written where people can find them. In addition, younger employees are more likely to use Facebook and other social media to communicate with friends and business associates during work hours, further compromising company data. In 2015, 43% of cyber attacks targeted small businesses. A dramatic increase from 18% in 2011. 

Protect Your Data

Companies seeking to protect their data and make their employees aware of potential data leaks need to make cyber security part of the onboarding process, and reinforce this regularly, ideally not less than every six months. Some things to consider:

• Never open unsolicited or suspicious email. Even today, email is the number one source of viruses and malware infecting computer systems.
• Never transmit company data over unsecured (https) or unencrypted servers. If your company does not have hard encryption, never allow sensitive data to be transmitted out of house.
• Never post company information on social media. As odd as this seems, employees – and managers! – often don’t see the harm in posting company data on their Facebook pages. Clear it with IT first.
• Invest in a good antivirus program, and keep it current.

Beyond these steps, make employees aware of what computer hacking is and is not. It is not always teenage boys hiding in the basement, munching Doritos and plotting world domination. Sometimes it can be a disgruntled guy in Accounting copying files onto a thumb drive and slipping it into his pocket. It may be as simple as someone with passwords to computers he should not have.

Communication is Key

For this reason, communication between employees, managers, and IT is essential. Employees need to be able to tell managers they have seen something that “just doesn't look right” without fear of repercussion or starting a witch-hunt. Managers need to be able to notify IT without starting a massive overhaul of the entire server system or worse, letting a hacker know that he's been identified. By letting everyone know up front that all theft will be found and treated equally, employers can guarantee that it will be spotted early and dealt with promptly. Surprisingly only 13% of small businesses are worried about a cyber attack, while the chances of it happening can be quite frightening. What’s even more scary is 60% of small companies that suffer a cyber attack are out of business within six months. 

If you’re unsure that your business is doing everything it can to protect itself from outside and inside fraud attacks or want to learn more, view the recording of our webinar, “Stop Fraud In Its Tracks.” Platinum Group’s Human Capital Management and Business Development Webinar Series features local and statewide professional experts offering valuable insight into successful business practices. 

Platinum Group is a full service human capital management (HCM) resource that allows businesses to manage their payroll, benefits compliance, track time and attendance and other various human resources functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and eliminates redundancies with the platform, iSolved. For more information about Platinum Group or to schedule a demo of iSolved please visit our website.