Security professionals are being overworked – and that’s a huge problem
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The amount of overtime IT security leaders work each week has increased significantly compared to the same period last year, new research shows.
Plus, it’s getting harder and harder for them to switch off in their spare time, which means they’re pretty much constantly busy, one way or another. This entails a lot of risk for the organization.
Email security firm Tessian recently released its annual ‘Lost Hour’ report, based on a survey of 600 security leaders in the UK, US, Middle East and Africa. According to the report, the average security leader in the UK and US works 16.5 hours of overtime per week, an increase of five and a half hours from the same time last year. A third work 20 extra hours per week, while a fifth (18%) work 25 hours more than contractually agreed, an increase from 9% a year ago.
Always on
Tessian also says 10% of security leaders spend anywhere from 25 to 49 extra hours in the office each week. If you spend an extra 49 hours, you are actually spending about seven extra hours a day – even on weekends.
In the UK, four in five (79%) leaders struggle to switch jobs “always”, while a fifth (21%) say they can “rarely” or “never”. These figures are also higher than last year, when 59% indicated that they had problems switching off.
“Security leaders must do everything they can to ensure the safety and health of their organizations,” said Josh Yavor, CISO for Tessian.
“As the data shows, this ‘all-in’ mentality can turn into ‘always on’, leading to overtime and feelings of burnout. Not only is this unsustainable, it also reduces efficacy and increases risk. Like all employees, CISOs have their limits and must advocate for themselves and time constraints to avoid burnout. As leaders, it is critical that CISOs can lead by example and prepare their teams for sustainable operational work.”
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