Safeguarding Confidential Information Wherever You Work

At the start of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many companies rapidly shifted their employees to remote work. As businesses continue to operate in this new reality, they must remain vigilant about information security, making sure all employees understand their role in keeping confidential information safe.

Remote Work Creates Information Security Risks

As employees perform their job duties from home, the risk of inadvertent data security breaches can rise, and company leaders recognize the dangers.

86% of C-SUITES and 65% of SBOs believe the risk of data breaches is higher when their employees work offsite.

Proper document disposal should be a key focus. 75% of employees print work-related documents when working from home. They dispose of these documents in the following ways:

• 8% DISPOSE OF THEM IN THE TRASH
• 10% STORE IN THEIR HOME OFFICE
• 15% HOLD THEM FOR WORKPLACE DISPOSAL
• 16% RECYCLE THEM
• 49% SHRED THEM IN PERSONAL SHREDDER

More than one-third of employees dispose of confidential paper improperly when at home, potentially putting their company's private information at risk.

When working remotely, employees should:

• Shred their documents
• Take documents back to the office for proper disposal
• Drop documents off at a local paper shredding company

A Lack of Consistent Policies and Training Can Leave Businesses Vulnerable

Risks increase when companies don't have detailed policies covering how to properly store and dispose of documents when employees work offsite.

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable in this area:

• 53% of SBOs have detailed information security policies in place
• 45% of SBOs don't have information security policies at all
• 41% of SBOs have information security policies that are followed by employees

Robust employee training is also critical, whether staff is working on or off-site

24% of C-SUITES and 54% of SBOs report having no regular employee training on information security procedures or policies

Trainings should:

• Ensure employees understand the importance of securely disposing confidential documents
• Detail how to safely dispose of documents when working from home or in the office
• Cover what needs to be shredded and how often
• Address how confidential documents should be stored

The Work-from-Home Trend Is Nothing New 

77% of C-SUITES and 53% of SBOs had employees who regularly or periodically worked off-site before the pandemic

94% of C-SUITES and 77% of SBO leaders felt that work-from-home options were going to become even more important over the next five years.

After the pandemic subsides, many employees are likely to continue working remotely to some degree. Now more than ever, businesses must take a proactive approach to information security, implementing proper training and data security protocols for all employees, regardless of their location.

To learn more about how to keep your company's confidential information private and secure, click here to download Shred-it's 2020 Data Protection Report.

Source: Shred-it's 2020 Data Protection Report