Douglas, B. (2016) Seasonal Employee Security Risks: Present Danger, Proactive Defense. Available at: https://securityintelligence.com/seasonal-employee-security-risks-present-danger-proactive-defense/
I agree with the author’s assertions regarding the season employees and cyber security risks in the workplace. Seasonal employees often threaten data security. Douglas (2016) states that most companies encounter about 20 percent of fraud over the holiday season. One of the most common cyber security risks has been stealing the customer’s credit card information, passwords and usernames which has been considered a lucrative business model, motivating employees who are after making a living in the dark web.
A major step in mitigating seasonal employee security risks is to implement integration and solid onboarding processes. This means having the hiring practices consistent despite the fact that they are seasonal employees. These practices reduce the risk of hiring potential threats. Onboarding means treating the season employees the same way as the permanent employees (Douglas, 2016). Following efficient onboarding and corporate culture practices, it’s possible for clients booking for holidays feel free and part of the team rather than fortunate outsiders. Having a manger who regularly monitors the cultural climate during the holidays will ensure that the seasonal employees are treated fairly and with mutual respect. For instance, Secure Computer User training could be an effective program during onboarding since it will offer employees with vital skills and knowledge that can be used in protection of information assets.
Another major step is defending the organization against data based seasonal employee security risks through the use of test environments during training. This is effective since the users can access the functions of vital process without having to risk the customer data and exposure of the company real data (Douglas, 2016). Additionally, the organization needs to focus on access permissions to ensure that the recruited staff only gain access to data that is critical to their roles and responsibilities.
Managers can show leadership in the area of cyber security and best practices through maintaining their corporate culture during recruitment, preventing duplication and transformation of data through signing non-disclosure agreement which sets foot for legal compliance (Douglas, 2016). Providing training and a favorable working environment for the seasonal employees provides an opportunity for performance. Implementation of training programs such as Secure Computer User training will immerse the employees into an interactive setting where they are able to acquire a basic understanding of the different network and computer security threats such as credit card fraud, backdoors and virus, online banking phishing scams and loss of confidential data. These practices will play an essential role in securing the company data especially hotels during peak seasons when more season employees are hired.
