Bullying seems to be a buzzword in today’s society. What was once a simple act of the big, mean kid picking on the smaller, defenseless child has moved to the new arena of cyberspace. Too many horrific stories outline the drastic actions some adolescents take to get away from the bullying. Thankfully, there are laws to protect and prosecute when it comes to school-age minors.
But outside of schoolyards, few know about the damage workplace cyberbullying has caused good employees.
As it becomes the norm to sit back and pass judgment in a few typed responses, the rise of the workplace bully has been inevitable. Emboldened by not having to think or even look that person in the eye when they send out those emails or posts, too many employees have targeted coworkers for harassment.
Employees on the receiving end of this type of bullying don’t always know where to go or who to ask for help. Is this an HR matter or do you go straight to the boss? In many cases, to make it stop, the employee first must collect some “evidence” if you will. If an employee is the subject of co-worker bullying, it’s important not to snap out a response. First, the employee needs evidence no matter how much waiting and collecting might hurt.
Being firm and up-front with the bullies and stating that you expect the harassment to end is the next step. The important thing is to remain calm and firm. Don’t waver or give them any outs when it comes to your expectations. Keep an eye out to see if they take your expectations seriously.
If the bullying persists, seek out HR or even your boss and bring your evidence to them. Sometimes, bullying can lead to job termination and the threat of being unemployed will stop the actions immediately.
For the company owner or manager, stopping cyberbullying before it starts is a better tactic. If there have been reports of misdeeds and bullying, but scarce proof, it’s time to call in a digital forensics expert to do the digging and find the culprit.
In extreme cases of bullying, where litigation gets involved, having a computer expert witness will help protect the company, victim, and ensure that the guilty party gets their punishment.
Bullying isn’t just for kids anymore. Know what you can do to protect yourself in the workplace and make a stand.
Owning or running a business is more than a full-time job. The bottom line is an always looming reminder that you need to do more, to produce or even sell more to keep business going. Not only that, but you also must worry about the day-to-day workings of your business. And one of the biggest concerns for many business owners is their IT needs. With the growing threat of cyber attacks and data breaches, for many businesses, it is a matter of time before they are hit with an attack. If this happens to your business, know that there is help in the form of cyber forensics professionals who can help you recover and find out who attacked you. If your company hasn’t faced an attack, the following tips are here to help you avoid future cybercrime and therefore begin preventing cyberattacks:
Monitor your networks.
Keeping a close eye on your network will help cut down on potentially harmful attacks. Your employees might hate not being able to surf the web at will but having a closely monitored and closed network will promote cyber safety.
Keep up with the updates.
Too many times, companies put off OS updates and program updates. It is seen as a loss of valuable work time that can’t be replaced. So, the updates wait. Not updating programs or OS’s means your company infrastructure doesn’t have the latest upgrades to its cyber protection as well. This leaves you vulnerable. Keep the updates up to date to keep your tech safe.
Spend the money.
When companies want to save money they usually skimp on the IT department, hardware or software. Big mistake. Not having the new or newest protective programs leaves you open for attack. What’s more, hiring under-experienced IT won’t give you the talent to keep things as safe as they should be. Don’t skimp on software or talent.
Email security is a must.
More than one employee has opened a seemingly harmless email only to allow cybercriminals access to the company database. Optimizing email security protocols and rigorous employee training makes it more difficult for criminals to gain access to your company files.
Cybercrime is a sad reality of today’s business world. Prevention is the key to saving time, money and stress. However, if you find your company has experienced a data breach or cyber-attack, contact a digital forensics investigator to find out who is responsible and how to avoid future attacks.
Guardian Forensics is on the cutting edge when it comes to keeping data safe, we have a very informative email list that keeps you aware of news, trends and important information. Sign up here if you want to be on that list.
