How employers can prevent leaving workers from taking confidential data

Employers should keep a closer eye on their confidential data when employees leave for new jobs, a new study suggests.

Research from Symantec revealed that half of employees worldwide who left or lost their jobs in the last 12 months kept confidential corporate data, with 40 per cent of those planning to use it with their new employer.

The study discovered that employees not only think it is acceptable to take and use confidential data when they leave a company, but also believe their employers do not care if they do so, Live Science reported.

Symentec has advised companies to take precautionary measures to ensure their confidential data is kept safe.

They include employee education. Organizations need to let their employees know that taking confidential information is wrong.

Intellectual property theft awareness should be integral to security awareness training.

Companies should enforce non-disclosure agreements. They should include stronger, more specific language in employment agreements and ensure exit interviews include focused conversations around employees' continued responsibility to protect confidential information and return all company information and property, wherever it may be stored.

Also, make sure employees are aware that policy violations will be enforced and that theft of company information will have negative consequences to them and their future employer.

Firms should implement a data-protection policy that monitors inappropriate access and use of confidential data and automatically notifies employers of violations.

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