Employees can help fight against fraud by urging their bosses to provide adequate information security training, according to Shred-it.
For International Fraud Awareness Week, Shred-it is calling on workers in the UK to take responsibility for the fight against fraud, which costs businesses £193 million a year, but also has serious personal consequences for individuals.
Regular information security training is a crucial aspect of protecting organisations and their employees against fraud caused by a data breach. Despite this, over a third of small business owners (34 per cent) admit to never training their employees on information security while 58 per cent of C-Suite executives confess to training their staff only once a year or less.
While a lack of training puts business reputation at significant legal and financial risk, employees also suffer from data breaches and associated fraud. Fraud can lead to a reduction in bonuses if the organisation’s profitability is impacted due to financial repercussions or fines, or even job losses.
Employees may also find themselves under intense media scrutiny, or involved in the hugely time and resource consuming task of cleaning up the aftermath, both internally and externally.
Robert Guice, senior vice president, EMEAA, Shred-it, comments that information security training still sits low on the list of business priorities for most companies and business leaders.
He adds, ‘However, it can make the difference between a protected workplace and one recovering from the damage of fraud caused by data breach. Employees have a vital role to play when it comes to the preventing fraud in the workplace. The right training can help workers fully understand their responsibilities and take meaningful actions towards preventing a data breach.”
He concludes, ‘During International Fraud Awareness Week, we urge all employees to take the initiative and call on their business leaders and colleagues to address any existing information security gaps and to commit to regular training.’
Further reading on security training
