Think about the last time you heard a joke that didn’t land – it’s difficult to imagine anything more awkward for the person who told it and the audience alike. However, in work environments, awkwardness alone can be a minor issue when humour goes wrong. Jokes have the potential to trivialize serious issues, offend and alienate coworkers and reduce the workplace's tolerance for those with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
In addition to employee interactions, the tension between humour and safe, effective, and healthy work environments is also evident in the creation and delivery of training materials. Employees won't understand how serious certain problems can be if they are encouraged to make light of them, whether it be security threats,
harassment, or discrimination.
These problems are especially important when it comes to cybersecurity awareness training, as many employees already underestimate the severity of cyber threats and need continuous reminders of just how devastating a major data breach or another cyberattack can be. Instead of making cybersecurity out to be a laughing matter as many training platforms have done, your company should approach it with the seriousness it deserves.
Any effective cybersecurity awareness platform has to emphasize these real-world consequences, which demonstrate to employees the gravity of what they’re learning. That’s why emotionally affecting stories of lives torn asunder and businesses irreparably damaged will always have a more profound impact on employee behaviour than goofy skits or other attempts at humor where it does more harm than good.
During the first half of 2021, ransomware attacks across the globe skyrocketed by 151%. Additionally, the Cyber Centre in Canada reported 235 ransomware incidents targeting Canadian organizations between January 1st and November 16th, 2021. You can find more statistics on recent attacks to Canada here.
Employee Cybersecurity training should emphasize these consequences, which demonstrate the gravity of what they’re learning. That’s why emotionally affecting stories of lives torn asunder and businesses irreparably damaged will always have a more profound impact on employee behaviour than funny skits or other attempts at humour where it does more harm than good.
Any effective cybersecurity awareness platform has always included education at its core since hackers rely on employee deception, manipulation, and exploitation to infiltrate businesses. Nearly two-thirds of businesses have experienced an increase in social engineering attacks since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, and this trend is only going to grow as remote work continues to be the standard and cybersecurity systems struggle to keep up.
Businesses are continually raising their expenditures for cybersecurity, but spending money on cybersecurity isn't enough; they also need to put in place cybersecurity policies that are effective, and training is at the top of the list. However, the type of training is important; businesses shouldn't take cybersecurity lightly because it has the potential to cost them millions of dollars, damage their relationships with customers, and endanger employees and their families. What's worse is that comedy can erode the teamwork required to rally workers around the significance of preventing hacks and maintaining the company's security.
Companies can offer interesting and educational content with stories about genuine cyberattacks (and their victims) taken straight from the headlines rather than trying to make employees giggle about cybersecurity.
Employees will see firsthand the enormous human cost of cyberattacks, as well as exactly how they can prevent becoming victims themselves. Any attempt to lightheartedly convey these difficult truths is certain to offer staff members a distorted perception of what they are up against, leaving them ill-prepared to fight back.
Does your team need help? Our IT engineers are ready to help you and well-versed in the technology and industry that surrounds it. Schedule your Complimentary Business Systems Assessment today! Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar about Security Awareness Training for employees happening in October!
Source:
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/canada-cyber-crime-statistics/
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