WorldatWork.org
Abstract of Survey Results: “Employees would be willing to work 80 hours a week, with 25% prepared to take a salary cut, if it meant they could keep their jobs… These same workers also admitted to conspiring to download vital, useful and competitive information to take with them if they were fired or laid off… 56% of workers are worried about losing their job… In preparation for that loss, the survey found, more than half of respondents admitted to downloading competitive corporate data and plan to use the information as a negotiating tool to secure their next job.”>
Employees Willing to Steal Company Information When Faced With Layoff or Termination>
Dec. 4, 2008 — Having willing employees is a good thing, but having employees who are willing to break the rules to keep their jobs — and at the expense to their employer — is not.>
A recent survey by Cyber-Ark Software found that more than one-third of the 600 office workers surveyed found that employees would be willing to work 80 hours a week, with 25% prepared to take a salary cut, if it meant they could keep their jobs. However, the survey found that these same workers also admitted to conspiring to download vital, useful and competitive information to take with them if they were fired or laid off.>
In these tough economic times it’s no surprise that the survey found 56% of workers are worried about losing their job. In preparation for that loss, the survey found, more than half of respondents admitted to downloading competitive corporate data and plan to use the information as a negotiating tool to secure their next job.>
The survey found:>
- In Holland, 71% of workers confessed to having already downloaded data, 58% in the U.S. and just 40% in the United Kingdom. >
- When confronted with the prospect of being fired tomorrow and ethics go out the door (so to speak), 71% surveyed declared they would definitely take company data with them to their next employer. >
- Top of the list of desirable information is the customer and contact databases, with plans and proposals, product information, and access/password codes all proving popular choices. HR records and legal documents were the least most favored data that employees were interested in taking. >
- 46% said a layoff rumor would make them look for the layoff list. 50% said they would try to use their own access rights to snoop around the network; if that failed, those same employees would consider bribing a friend in the IT department to do it for them. >
While employees revealed they would take information prior to leaving an employer, the survey also found that employees believe it’s becoming harder to take sensitive information out of the company: 71% in the U.K. and 46% in Holland said it was difficult. However, only 38% of U.S. respondents said it was difficult to sneak information out.>
The survey also found:>
- 50% of U.S. workers said they were prepared to work 80-hour weeks to keep their job; just 37% in Holland and 27% in the U.K. said they would put in the extra hours >
- 15% of U.S. workers said they would consider blackmailing the boss and 26% said they would buy the next round of drinks for a year in an effort to keep their job >
- Just 3% of U.K. workers said they would consider bribery; only 6% in Holland and 2% in the U.K. were willing to buy drinks. >
Survey MethodologyThe survey into “The Global Recession and Its Effect on Work Ethics” was carried out by Cyber-Ark’s team of researchers amongst 600 office workers on Wall Street, New York, Docklands London and at an International event in Amsterdam Holland.>
Contents © 2008 WorldatWork. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from WorldatWork.>
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment