I agree with the statement the author made concerning seasonal
employees and cybersecurity risks in the workplace. I’m in
agreement because when companies from the various industries,
such as hospitality, experience an increase in staff in an effort to
meet the growing demand of business during peak times like
holidays, they face a potentially higher cyber security risk as the
likelihood of fraudulent activities occurring is also increased
(Bonderud, 2016). Though these temporary workers such as Night
Auditors, Front Desk Agents, Call Center Agents, and staffers in
Concierge Services may provide additional help, they are granted
access to sensitive data, namely credit card information, phone
numbers, usernames, and systems, in order to perform their jobs
(Medina, 2018). Therefore, it is imperative to have a reliable
system or protocols in place to manage these risks and safeguard
the company’s digital assets.
There are several ways Managers can mitigate security threats
relating to the hiring of seasonal employees. For starters, they
can foster a stable, unvarying interview and pre-employment
screening system, and establish an effective and stringent set of
new hire orientation procedures (Bonderud, 2016). They should
also verify that the workplace social environment consists of
fairness and equality so as to avoid staff members becoming
unhappy or resentful (Bonderud, 2016). Furthermore, managers
should administer training involving critical data in a simulated
setup, ensure permissions granted to particular systems and data
are required by the specific job and on a need-to-know basis, and
these accesses terminated once the employment has come to an
end (Bonderud, 2016).
Managers can display leadership regarding cybersecurity efforts
and best practices by implementing proactive measures such as
safety policies and procedures. They should also set a strong
example by first completing the required training, then ensuring it
is being completed by the general staff by tracking this progress
periodically, for instance, on a quarterly basis. Additionally, they
can endorse a cybersecurity conscious work environment by
placing emphasis on these best practices being integrated into
daily job operations, with a dedicated team in place to perform
precautionary actions to include monitoring online activities,
running virus scans, and keeping software such as antivirus and
firewall updated daily (E.C. Council, 2016).
References
Bonderud, D. (2016). Seasonal employee security risks: Present
danger, proactive defense. Security Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://securityintelligence.com/seasonal-employee-security-risks-
present-danger-proactive-defense/
E. C. Council, (2016). Module 1: Introduction to data security -
Implementing security. evantage.gilmoreglobal.com. Retrieved from
https://evantage.gilmoreglobal.com/reader/books/9781635671810/
pageid/16
Medina, K. (2018). 10 Popular Seasonal Jobs In Hospitality.
Hcareers. Retrieved from https://www.hcareers.com/article/job-
search-tips/10-popular-seasonal-jobs-in-hospitality
