Cyber technology has created both bad and good opportunities in the workplace.
By definition, deviance is a “quality, state, or behavior that differs from what is normal or accepted (Merriam-Webster, 2023).” Knowing this, cyber technology in the workplace creates departures from standards that can be harmful, but not all deviances are negative.
Negative deviances include workplace distractions such as “cyber loafing”. The habits of employees engaging in non-work-related internet surfing “costs U.S. employers a whopping $85 billion a year (Kawamoto, 2022).” This includes activities such browsing social networks, online shopping, online gaming and gambling and even pornographic browsing. These causes losses in workplace productivity, and more importantly, opens up backdoors and vulnerabilities for cyberattacks and malware. Insider threats can also use unsecured technology to leak company secrets and damage a company’s IT infrastructure.
But just as insider threats can damage a company, workers are most likely to blow the whistle when a company is committing fraud, with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) citing that 21% of whistleblowers are employees (Khan, 2022). Because of the technologies that exist today, it is easier than ever to call out unethical practices and law breaking in the workplace. Employees can use their mobile phones, send pictures and emails through email and social networks. This contributes to positive change and encourages transparency in the workplace. Though cyberloafing is a concern, research shows that social media can be a useful tool to promote products and services as well as raise moral by allowing employees to stay in contact with friends and family, support professional connections and increase moral by giving them an opportunity to take a mental break (Roller, 2023). Having access to social networks and web browsing can be helpful in keeping morale up in the workplace and employee retention.
Too strict of a cybersecurity can be a barrier. An IT system with only whitelisted programs, site access and propriety technology will not have access to external tools and resources that may be valuable to productivity. Employee morale will also be affected facing social isolation. Too lax of a policy and unrestricted access could pose backdoors and vulnerabilities to threat actors, and a launch pad for insider threats.
In the end, whether or not a cybersecurity policy is effective is dependent on the balance of security and productivity. How would you balance your cybersecurity policy?
Sources:
Merriam-Webster. (2023, November 8). Deviance. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deviance
Kawamoto, D. (2022, November 28). Cyberloafing: What is it and how to prevent it. Built In. https://builtin.com/employee-engagement/cyberloafing
Roller, A. (2023, August 29). Social Media in the workplace: Pros, cons & policies. HRMorning. https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/social-media-in-the-workplace/
Khan, J., Saeed, I., Zada, M., Ali, A., Contreras-Barraza, N., Salazar-Sepúlveda, G., & Vega-Muñoz, A. (2022, February 3). Examining whistleblowing intention: The influence of rationalization on wrongdoing and threat of retaliation. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8835164/