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FINAL WORD
Why ‘troubled’
employees are a
threat to your business
Sergey Ozhegov, CEO at SearchInform, tells Intelligent CIO
how employees can threaten companies.
G
amblers, terrorists, haters and other
risk groups can threaten business
information security. But should
an employer be interested in the personal
life of employees? The question alone can
trigger indignation; if employees cope well
with the job, their boss has no reason to
worry. However, staff hobbies have the
potential to cause legal problems for the
company, result in substantial financial loss
or be the cause of huge quarrels among
colleagues. Office pools, quite popular in
the US and gaining popularity in South
Africa, can also be a source of problems for
the company.
PASPA of 1992 prohibits sports gambling in
the majority of states. While such hobbies
shared among employees seem to help
instil and maintain the team dynamic, they
can quickly get out of control and become
clandestine or secretive in nature.
Illicit interests threaten the company,
not only because of the serious legal
implications, but also with financial and
social problems. Conflicts within the team
can arise because of financial loss or refusal
to participate and the amount involved
often isn’t regulated. Those who have the
opportunity have the option to apply to the
company for financial assistance.
Those who participate in office pools can
discuss this vital issue at their workplace
where illegal activities are organised.
DLP system offers a variety of ways that
will help to intercept situations that expose
forbidden employee activity.
When a company hires an employee,
they can never be truly certain of their
integrity. Security specialists are tasked with
risk reduction, incident prevention and a
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INTELLIGENTCIO
company’s weak spot – identification. It’s
a ‘professional paranoia’ which helps to
understand the professional qualities of an
employee and their nature. But can it be
dangerous for your business and how? employer. Risk groups consist of completely
different people with different qualities,
habits and hobbies.
The information security specialists establish
so-called ‘risk groups’ based on security
policies; which websites does an employee
visit, how do they communicate and with
whom and what are they interested in?
These are the markers which determine
whether an employee has a particular
‘feature’ which could be a threat to the This problem has already been outlined.
However, we need to consider a few points;
gamblers bring their habit of taking risks to
work quite easily.
“
STAFF HOBBIES
HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO
CAUSE LEGAL
PROBLEMS FOR
THE COMPANY,
RESULT IN
SUBSTANTIAL
FINANCIAL
LOSS OR BE
THE CAUSE OF
HUGE QUARRELS
AMONG
COLLEAGUES.
Gambling
It’s not difficult for them to commit a crime,
especially if they have lost money and are
desperate for a quick loan, often a large
amount as quickly as possible. Competitors
can benefit from the addiction of employees
who work for another company resorting to
blackmail to recruit them.
Drugs: Distribution, dependence
It is unlikely that the employer will be happy
if the employees enter the office intoxicated
with drugs or don’t show up at all.
An employee will not hesitate to commit a
crime if he or she needs to get ‘a fix’. There’s
another situation, or rather another potential
nightmare scenario for the manager: the
organisation of illegal activity concerning
drug trafficking within the company. This
is tantamount to irreversible reputational
damage and attracts sanctions. It’s no
surprise that drug-dependent or addicted
employees are almost always dismissed
without hesitation.
Alcohol addiction
The essence of the issue seems to be the
same as in gambling or drug situations.
However, alcohol is somewhat unique. In
South Africa, it is not easy to terminate the
employment of staff who fail a breathalyser
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