August 13, 2019

Five Updates to Make to Your Employee Retention and Recruitment Strategy



It’s no surprise that one data breach can have a lasting effect on your corporate reputation. A data breach – whether from an internal or external threat - will cost your business a loss of consumer trust, not to mention the large fines associated with a breach. But did you know that a data breach can also cost you your employees? Findings from our 2019 Data Protection Report confirm that strong data protection practices need to be part of your employee retention strategy as employees are increasingly looking at corporate information security protocols when it comes to choosing their place of employment.

To ensure that you are recruiting and retaining top talent, while prioritizing information security, here are five updates that you should make to your employee retention strategy.
  1. Train your employees throughout the year. Just as human resource departments are tasked with training their employees with the necessary skills to perform their job, it is equally important to train employees on the proper data protection practices that they should use in their daily routine. With the rise of the open office concept and flexible work arrangements, employees might be putting themselves at risk of a data breach and not even know it.

  2. Implement the necessary policies. In order to ensure that your employees are engaged and protected, workplaces have a duty to implement the necessary policies to keep their workplace safe. Policies such as the Shred-it All Policy and the Clean Desk Policy, aim to create a culture of information security.
  3. Create strong password protection. Employees are increasingly relying on technology to perform their work. Just think about all of the electronic devices that individuals are armed with. Laptops, cell phones and ipads all contain confidential work and personal information, and could cause serious damage if they get into the wrong hands. To help employees protect themselves, it is important that IT departments provide monthly reminders and educate employees on the importance of creating strong passwords on their electronic devices.
  4. Understand Data Sharing Risks While Out of Office. The physical workplace has changed. Employees need to understand the risks of remote work. Organizations that do have these types of work arrangements are encouraged to provide the proper employee training to protect confidential information.
  5. Create a culture of information security. One of the most important parts of ensuring that information security is part of your talent retention strategy, is to create a corporate culture of information security. This can be done by ensuring that everyone in the organization, no matter their level of seniority, is prioritizing information security through proper training and abiding by policies.
To learn more about how to implement a talent retention strategy that prioritizes data protection, please visit the Shred-it resource centre.