Juan J. Monroe 
More than half (55%) of Australian employees believe their stress level has an impact on their ability to focus on their work and engage in risky behaviors that expose organizations to cyberthreats.
That’s according to new research from Forcepoint, which looked at how the shift to working from home impacted people’s behaviors and attitudes.
Investigate different attitudes and behaviors according to age
Looking at different generations, research reveals that while older (55+) and younger employees report similar levels of organizational support – whether it’s extra training, the right equipment to do it. their job or to feel valued at work – their emotional experiences and their use of technology is very different.
In fact, three-quarters (76%) of younger employees report feeling stressed by the competing demands of their personal and professional life, compared with 48% of older workers, and 73% said they feel the pressure to be available for work. outside normal working hours. , compared to just over half (56%) of older workers.
Additionally, seven in ten younger employees (70%) also said they felt at risk of burnout, compared to 43% of older employees.
Younger employees also revealed significant stress and concerns about their job security compared to other age groups, with 67% saying they are worried about their job performance and ability to do their job well. . Finally, half (50%) of young workers say they have difficulty understanding their professional goals.
Regarding the impact of this stress, Forcepoint surveyed Australian employees about their behavior when working from home.
A third (33%) of young people said they made more mistakes when working from home – a number rising to almost four in ten (38%) who did not work remotely before COVID-19.
Additionally, half of young workers said distractions while working from home negatively impact decision making.
These risky behaviors also extend to the use of technology. 41% of young workers said they use ‘shadow IT’ – IT systems, devices, software, applications and services not approved by the company because it allows them to perform certain tasks more easily .
More than one in five (22%) also said they allow members of their household to use their corporate devices, compared to just 7% of older workers.
Forcepoint principal investigator Dr Margaret Cunningham commented on the results: “Throughout the study, we consistently found that young workers were most affected by work-from-home assignments.
“They reported higher stress levels and greater uncertainty about their job security, and also felt more pressured by time or work commitments.
“Ultimately, younger workers also reported higher rates of risky behavior so that they could do their jobs, which put organizations at increased cybersecurity risk. “
Considering the greatest demand for caregivers
The report finds that caregivers are also feeling the pressure of working from home. The study finds that 67% of caregivers feel stressed by the competing demands of personal and professional life, with the same number (67%) saying they feel the pressure to be available outside of regular working hours.
Half of caregivers said they struggle to make day-to-day business decisions while working from home, and 57% are also concerned about their ability to do their job well, according to the study.
Regarding the impact of confinement on caregivers, the study reveals an increase in risky behavior.
Almost half (45%) of caregivers said distractions impacted their decision making when working from home, and 39% said they needed parallel computing to do their jobs. 22% of caregivers allowed household members to access company devices, compared to 8% of non-caregivers.
The impact of state blockades
The research also looked at the impact of state blocks. According to Forcepoint, while the people of Queensland have felt the stress of the past 18 months, workers in Sun State have fared better than their New South Wales and Victorian-era counterparts, who suffered more stringent blockades.
The study shows that 58% of Queenslanders report feeling stressed by the competing demands of their personal and professional lives, compared to 64% of workers in NSW and 68% of residents of Victoria.
Likewise, 42% of workers in Queensland report having difficulty separating personal and professional life (compared to 60% in New South Wales and 57% in Victoria), and more than half (55%) feel more pressure to be available outside regular working hours, compared to 72% of workers in New South Wales and 67% in Victoria.
These relatively low stress levels are reflected in the confidence of Queensland workers in their ability to work effectively from home – only 17% of Queenslanders say they tend to make more mistakes when working from home, vs. 28% of NSWs and 26% of Victorian workers. .
However, the three states are almost on a par when it comes to using shadow computing: 32% of workers in Queensland, 34% of workers in New South Wales and 35% of Victorians say they need it. ghost computing to do their job.
Expert comments
Nick Savvides, Senior Director of Strategic Affairs at Forcepoint APAC, said: “We know Australian workers, and young people in particular, feel less connected to their employers and less confident of their future job security than ever before. The questions employers should ask themselves are: Do these stressors make my employees more likely to take risks? And how can I mitigate this behavior?
“The instinct may be to increase security – but the reality is, restricting the way people work to try to protect every last piece of data will make matters worse, as staff will feel less capable of doing a good job.
“Instead, by ensuring staff have the tools and support they need to function effectively, employers can turn their workforce into a strong barrier against unnecessary data breaches. “
Dr Cunningham says: “The past 18 months have been stressful for everyone, and while many employers have supported employees with improved technology and connectivity, other more human factors should not be overlooked.
“Interruptions, distractions, and shared attention can be physically and emotionally draining, making reporting on risky technology unsurprising. reasoning.”
Cunningham concludes: “Businesses and business leaders need to consider the unique psychological and physical circumstances of their home workers when it comes to effective IT protection.
“They need to make their employees feel comfortable in their home office, educate them about IT security, and also model positive behaviors. Knowing the rules, both written and implied, and then designing behavior-focused metrics surrounding the rules can help us mitigate the negative impact of these risky behaviors.
