Hundreds of companies which are allowing staff to work from home during the London Olympics are risking disaster by not taking extra precautions to protect customers’ personal data away from the office.
With a surge of Olympic passengers expected, the first day of the Games sparked what many described as an exodus of workers from the capital, with thousands either working from home or taking holidays.
Many companies have changed shift patterns in consultation with TfL and allowed staff to work remotely. The way has been led by Whitehall, which is permitting thousands of staff to remain at home, in a programme known as Operation Step Change.
But according to research by Shred-it, more than a third of the companies which are allowing staff to work from home have made no plans to protect data being used or downloaded in the homes of company workers.
And only 6% of businesses said they were concerned about security risks, while two thirds felt that a switch to home working would not have any impact on their business.
With the Information Commissioner’s Office able to dish out fines of to £500,000 – and launch criminal proceedings – if firms suffer a data breach and fail to provide clear advice to staff, the Olympics could prove costly for many businesses.
Shred-it is advising home workers to avoid printing off confidential information from laptops or computers unless “absolutely necessary” and use email or digital storage devices that are protected by passwords.
Last week, the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry said 80% of businesses in the capital offer some form of flexible working to their employees, with the Olympics likely to encourage the remaining 20% to “test” whether working remotely or from home brings business benefits.
