What does Cybersecurity have to do with HR ?
What does Cybersecurity have to do with HR ?
I ’ d be lying if I said I went into HR hoping cybersecurity would become a key part of my responsibilities . But whilst I would hardly describe myself and an , ‘ early adopter ,’ nor am I a laggard . And the longer I ’ ve been in the world of people and culture , the more I ’ ve realised how vast it is and how it touches on so many parts of a business – that ’ s one of the reasons I love it : there ’ s always something new to learn .
So , when thinking about a suitable topic for this month ’ s article , I was reminded of some of the cyber related issues that I ’ ve picked up over the last year . For example , two separate clients who had employees that were victims of a phishing scam . For the first client , a small business that certainly didn ’ t have deep pockets , it was an innocent mistake that had very serious consequences . The second scenario was a much larger organisation but nonetheless the breach still caused serious financial concern . In both instances employee disciplinaries took place resulting in a final written warning in one company and a resignation in the other . organisation , such as creating guidelines for safe online behaviour , password management , data access control , and reporting security incidents
• Regular knowledge sharing between HR and IT will help foster a better understanding of each department ' s goals and challenges , leading to more effective cybersecurity strategies
• It goes without saying that policies need to align with relevant laws and regulations , such as the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR )
Here are my learnings from dealing with those issues : 1 . Cybersecurity is not just the responsibility of the IT function Modern cyber-criminals have mastered the psychological techniques of manipulating their target and this means cyber-security is a far more human issue than you may think . For people professionals like me , we need to better understand how to support employees in identifying where the risks might lie . And that means taking action on a number of fronts .
• Cybersecurity best practice should be a key part of induction and onboarding programmes
• Ongoing training at regular intervals will help employees stay up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats and prevention techniques
• HR should liaise closely with IT to develop and enforce cybersecurity policies and procedures across the
2 . Communication , communication , communication HR has to coordinate across the business , not just with IT , to ensure cybersecurity messages are consistently communicated to all employees . For example , this might involve creating a cybersecurity communication plan and leveraging multiple channels , such as email , intranet , and in-person meetings , to make sure information is shared effectively .
Cyber threats are constantly evolving and , whether it ’ s your area of interest or not , People & Cultural teams are an integral part of safeguarding the digital assets of organisations in order to maintain their reputation and financial stability . In the end it ’ s part of workplace security – and that ’ s of importance to us all .
Ruth George - HR Consultant ruth @ ruthgeorge . com ; 07899 920075
This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only . © Ruth George HR Consulting .
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