Cause for Concern: Security and Remote Working

86% of Irish workers want to continue working from home but are sufficient security measures in place?

A remote working report launched by Limerick Tech firm ActionPoint has revealed that 86% of people would like to continue to work from home at least one day per week once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. However, there are major security concerns that must be overcome to make this future sustainable.

Headquartered on the University of Limerick campus, ActionPoint conducted a survey of over 2,000 Irish workers on how organisations and their workforce were adapting to remote working as a result of Covid- 19.

Remote Working trends to consider

The results also showed a further 68% of people would like to work from home at least two days a week. These figures suggest that the preference for Irish workers is to partake in a hybrid workplace.

Speaking on the results of the report, ActionPoint CEO David Jeffreys said: “Fewer than half of organisations polled had a remote working policy in place but an impressive 78% of respondents rate their organisation’s ability to work remotely as ‘good’ or ‘very good.’ This underlines the agility and adaptability of Irish SMEs in embracing the new work environment.”

Security Concerns in this New World

However, the report also reveals that a major gap in IT Security exists among Irish businesses with only 41% of respondents using multi-factor authentication and less than half (47%) use phishing protection. A massive spike in phishing emails and hacking related breaches since April means that businesses must be more vigilant than ever in securing their online data.

Commenting on the importance of cyber security standards for business, Mr Jeffreys said: “Because of Covid-19, there is worldwide awareness that people are working from home. To cybercriminals, this means that there are millions of vulnerable employees. It’s vital that organisations protect themselves against potential phishing and hacking attacks and adopt effective measures to protect their data.”

Long Commutes – A thing of the past?

Other interesting findings were the top three benefits of remote working cited by respondents, which included “time saved on commute”, “having a more flexible schedule” and “additional time with family.”

This flexible schedule and a taste of work-life balance has meant that a new concept for work environments has surfaced. Mr Jeffreys commented:

“We are anticipating a hybrid workplace where there might be core office days each month or week where workers will be expected to attend the office to ensure that there is no cultural disconnect within the team. Learning through osmosis by simply being present is important for communications and culture.”

Despite the tools for a remote office being far from a new asset to business, it is only as a result of the pandemic that we are seeing their true potential and how day to day operations can exist by training our teams to use them correctly. Mr Jeffreys said:

“People have been living within their comfort zones, doing what they do the way they have always done it. They may have had an awareness of tools such as Skype and Microsoft Teams, but never had an overwhelming need to use it, nor would they describe themselves as being proficient in their use. If they wanted to talk to a colleague, they just had to turn around in their chair. Essentially, they had no need to use these tools so weren’t aware of their true potential.”

David Jeffreys, ActionPoint CEO

For many, the system in place worked in the short term but in the long run, more robust policies are needed. If workers want to work remotely on a permanent basis, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. If the future is hybrid, then these questions, and more, need to be addressed.

To find out more about how Irish workers are adapting to remote working, check out The Covid-19 Remote Working Report from ActionPoint. Click here to download.

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