Employees are taking more than just their personal belongings when they clean out their desks that final time.
In fact, almost 60% of workers who leave their companies (either because of termination or voluntarily) steal company data as a parting gift. That’s according to a survey by the Ponemon Institute.
What type of data is being taken? E-mail lists are the most common stolen data, followed by “non-financial business information” and customer info like contact numbers.
Here’s a breakdown of the stolen items:
The majority of employees (67%) gave “leverage a new job” as the prime motivator behind their theft.
Perhaps the most startling find: Participants of the study claimed that only 15% of their employers carried out audits of paper and electronic info that the employees took with them.
Best bet: Have a thorough, uniform audit system in place to ensure workers don’t exit with your sensitive data.
