Burnout is a common problem among workers. In fast-paced, high-stress environments like IT, burnout is a considerable risk for workers. If you notice signs of burnout in your employees, your company could experience these five types of security risks.

1. Clicking on Nefarious Emails

“Burned-out” workers may experience cognitive problems which results from the crushing and constant stress at work. [1] While the brain can handle short bursts of intense pressure, it’s not capable of dealing with it day in and day out. This could lead to an employee clicking on a spam and phishing messages or sending nefarious emails and compromising your company’s security.

2. Opening Junk Mail

Burnout may cause employees to withdraw from responsibilities, stop caring about the quality of their work, take risks they would not usually take, or procrastinate essential decisions.[2] Some of these careless actions could also involve opening junk mail. Even if your business has junk mail filters set up, the occasional junk message will make it through. If an exhausted employee who stopped caring about their job clicks on that junk message, it could automatically download malware onto your network, but Artemis can prevent this. Opening junk mail is a risk to every part of your company’s security.

3. Sending Files to Unauthorized Recipients

Employees who have burnout may lose focus and concentration.[3] When they are not focused, they might accidentally transmit files or information to the wrong recipient. Sending confidential data to the wrong recipient puts your company’s entire data system at risk. At best, the person who does receive it may wonder why and assume that your company does not do a good job with data security. At worst, your company could face serious legal action from federal and state regulators; the person or company that had their data compromised by your employee’s action could bring forth harmful lawsuits. At Artemis, our services can prevent this from happening to your business.

4. Forgetting to Log Out

A burnt-out employee may have a tough time getting started on their workday; they may take longer breaks and leave the office as soon as possible. [4] In their rush to get out the door, they may forget to log out of their workstations, files, apps, or programs. Failing to log out of confidential files puts that data at risk. Stressed employees may also forget to lock physical copies of confidential information. They may also overlook the physical security of their work-issued laptops, portable drives, and phones.

5. Failing to Complete Essential Tasks

Overworked employees may not complete all of their assigned tasks every workday.[5] If an employee fails to perform a security-related task, then your business’s proprietary, financial, or confidential information could be at risk. Employees who are burned out may stop caring about their work performance. They may no longer feel as committed to doing their jobs or doing their jobs well. Even the most optimistic and dependable employee may let tasks slide when they are overwhelmed.

Artemis IT offers a full range of security solutions. By outsourcing many of the tasks that your company performs in-house, you can reduce the risk of overworking your employees. Reducing their workload also lowers the risk of burnout and the loss of focus, attention, and commitment that it entails. For more information about our business security solutions, get in touch with us today.

 

References

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/04/01/10-signs-youre-burning-out-and-what-to-do-about-it/?sh=681767ee625b

[2] https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm

[3] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them

[4] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

[5] https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-and-burnout-symptoms-and-causes-3144516