Letter from the Editor
What Do We Do When Employees Leave The Office — And ( Sometimes ) Don ’ t Come Back ?
Employees are a company ’ s salespeople , customer service team , marketers , technicians , project managers , and often the faces our customers see daily . They are the backbone of our businesses . Without them , we can ’ t do what we do . We can ’ t fulfill orders , provide our services , or inspire change in the community . But what happens when our employees start walking out the door to work remotely ? What happens when they don ’ t come back — ever ?
The recent shift in the workforce climate to hybrid work environments and masses of employees walking out of their offices altogether ( referred to as the Great Resignation ) is causing a ripple effect throughout businesses . Companies face serious consequences when employees start walking away with more than just their staplers and sticky notes , but also years of company files , data , and equipment .
Many of our clients are businesses that tend to trust everyone . But sometimes “ trusting employees ” leads to a lack of policies that gives everyone access to all company files and data . Remote working can make it even more difficult to ensure security and control . This way of working is dangerous . It ’ s like leaving the doors and windows open to your business . If you are attacked by ransomware , then 20 years ’ worth of 1099s and Social Security numbers are leaked to the dark web . This very scenario happened to one of my clients before we helped them get good policies in place . Consider personal cell phones . If your employee uses their cell phone and then resigns , are they walking away with years ’ worth of contacts and relationships on their phone that you no longer have access to ? These are the real consequences of the Great Resignation and hybrid working environments that have many of my clients asking , How do I prevent a ripple effect from this working climate ?
As a rule of thumb , all your information should be compartmentalized . It ’ s important to remember that computers don ’ t handle data . They store it . Humans handle data . In a hybrid workforce , you need to consider what information you are handling .
What are you doing to protect it ? Policies and technology will help you keep up with this new , more permanent work environment . Establish policies for bring your own device ( BYOD ) use , such as personal smartphones . Have an onboarding process that explains to the employee how to comply with company policies when using their phone . And finally , have an off-boarding process to follow if that employee leaves the company . You support your policies and processes with technology . When an employee leaves , you employ software that can remotely wipe the phone of its corporate content and data . This same framework can be applied to laptops and company files , so you ’ re not sending a police officer to the home of a disgruntled employee to recover a laptop ( true story ).
Policies + processes + technology is how you adjust to this new working culture so your employees have what they need to do their work without becoming a business risk to you down the line . I know how important your employees and your company are to you . So , the third issue of Momentum NJ covers more ways to set your employees and business up for success to minimize the impact of our new way of working .
Sincerely ,
Cathy Coloff Managing Member of IT Radix and
Editor of Momentum NJ Magazine
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