4 Reasons to Train Your Employees in Privacy
Employees are one of the key resources of any organization and are often front and center when it comes to dealings with your customers and stakeholders. It can be a significant investment to make sure everyone has consistent and up-to-date knowledge on privacy; however, this investment can reap many financial rewards and significantly mitigate the risk of your organization experiencing a data breach.
Employees play an important role in privacy and relying on only a few people to have knowledge opens your organization up to increased risk of a major data breach. Here are a few reasons why it’s critical to make sure your employees are trained regularly on the topic of privacy:
1. 90% of Data Dreaches are Caused by Human Error
Studies have consistently shown that within an organization, employees are often the weakest link when it comes to privacy and security. Whether it’s a phishing scam or a misplaced password, employees are usually the easiest targets for hackers – especially those who are in customer-facing roles that may have access to valuable company data and don’t have the technical background to fully understand some of the risks involved. It only takes a small mistake from one employee to jeopardize the security integrity of an entire organization. Implementing a regular privacy training program that keeps employees aware of the risks and their responsibilities can have a significant impact on reducing the risk of a data breach.
2. It Makes Everyone Accountable for Privacy
Accountability is key when it comes to privacy and preventing data breaches. If employees are unaware of the risks or think that privacy is not within their realm of responsibility, they are more likely to be careless, fall victim to scams, and make mistakes that would otherwise be recognizable and avoidable. By training all your employees on the basics of privacy, you can hold your whole team accountable rather than relying solely on just your technical team or Executives to be reactive to incoming issues.
3. Your Clients and Stakeholders Will Trust You More
These days, consumers are putting more emphasis on digital trust when it comes to their buying decisions. Often times, your employees are the ones who are interacting with your customers on a day-to-day basis and if there are gaps in their knowledge when it comes to privacy and managing your clients’ data, this can have a huge impact on your clients’ trust in your organization. Employees that are competent in privacy and know how to responsibly manage data can have significant impacts on your digital trust and your organization’s continued growth.
4. Increase Employee Value and Support New Career Development
With the rapid expansion of the digital age and companies collecting and storing more personal data online than ever before, the need for qualified privacy professionals is becoming a wide-spread demand. The market is in need of more individuals that are competent and knowledgeable in privacy laws and able to develop comprehensive privacy programs to implement within their organizations. This type of training goes beyond basic privacy training but can provide your employees with new exciting career opportunities that can support their personal and professional development. This investment can help develop privacy competency within your organization that you can apply to help maintain regulatory compliance as well as improve your employee retention. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is the international body for providing privacy certifications. These certifications are internationally recognized and allow individuals to specialize their privacy knowledge in their specific region. PrivacyWorks is an Official Training Partner with the IAPP and provides regular training sessions to help individuals attain their certifications. Check out our upcoming privacy training schedule.
Overall, implementing a regular privacy training program for all your employees allows you and your organization to take a proactive approach to managing privacy. This approach can reap numerous financial benefits in the long-term by mitigating the risk of a data breach in improving your digital trust with your customers and stakeholders.
