Onboarding new employees: Security starts on day one

by Gene Fredriksen, PSCU

Any new employee’s security education starts on their first day. Every organization wants their employees to be knowledgeable about a wide range of topics after training, so setting the tone from the start is crucial. Since we are all aware that “Death by PowerPoint” is an ineffective teaching method, working with your training staff to incorporate a security education message into the orientation for new employees at your financial institution is more important than ever.

The following are methods for improving security onboarding effectiveness:

  • Invite a senior executive to the onboarding session to underline the importance of security. The executive team sets the tone for the whole organization, every team and every project. Involve the management team at every stage of your security awareness training program if you want it to be effective.
  • Make sure every employee knows that cybersecurity is part of their job. Training is the most meaningful and effective when it is directly related to a worker’s position within the organization and the dangers that come with it. All employees need to know how to do their job securely. For instance, a salesperson might require more instruction than an engineer on how to safeguard information and equipment when traveling.

 

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