Firms employing high numbers of temporary and short-term
staff are putting themselves at a high risk of an internet or
e-mail security breach because newcomers are not made aware of
security policies, corporate compliance consultancy PolicyMatter
has warned.
According to PolicyMatter, many UK organisations are not
sufficiently geared up to ensure that temporary workers are made
aware of expected behaviour when using the company's e-mail and
internet systems. Matt Fisher, PolicyMatter's marketing manager,
said, "With the majority of firms deploying policy through an
employee handbook, or ad hoc hard copies, it is a good bet that
most temporary workers are never made aware of the company's
policies on internet and e-mail use.
"Temps, who are often hired as a short-term emergency measure, are
frequently let loose on sensitive applications with no prior
instruction."
Failing to ensure that workers are fully aware of their obligations
can be a recipe for disaster. Not only are uninformed staff more
likely to inadvertently cause a security breach, but if the
employer cannot prove that an individual was made aware of
corporate policy, it can be extremely difficult to limit the
organisation's legal liability.
The solution, according to Fisher, is to ensure that all temporary
workers are made aware of their expected behaviour before they are
allowed to access sensitive systems, such as e-mail.
"This sounds burdensome, but it needn't be. It is possible to
inform employees of relevant policies as soon as they start up
their PCs," he said. "Within 10 minutes they could have read and
signed up to an e-mail policy, giving the employer peace of mind
that their systems are being used properly."