Employee
well-being
has
become
a
primary
focus
for
many
businesses.
Even
before
the
pandemic,
the
C-suite
was
acutely
aware
of
how
employee
mental
health
impacts
business
outcomes.
But
for
cybersecurity
professionals,
stress
has
always
been
a
part
of
the
job.
A
new
survey
revealed
that
one
of
the
most
concerning
aspects
of
employee
mental
health
is
how
it
impacts
cybersecurity
programs
and,
more
broadly,
a
business’
ability
to
protect
itself
from
cyberattacks.
CISOs
and
their
teams
appear
to
be
taking
the
brunt
of
unmitigated
work-related
stress
levels
and
it’s
affecting
the
entire
organization.
CISOs
at
small
to
midsize
businesses
with
teams
of
five
employees
or
fewer
were
surveyed
to
better
understand
how
work-related
stress
is
impacting
CISOs
–
from
their
ability
to
do
their
job
and
lead
their
team
to
how
it’s
affecting
their
own
professional
outlook
and
personal
life.
Here’s
what
the
survey
results
revealed.
The
Impact
of
CISO
Work-Stress
Levels
on
Small
to
Midsize
Businesses
Among
the
CISOs
surveyed,
there
was
a
distressing
number
of
respondents
suffering
from
work-related
stress.
According
to
the
report,
94%
of
CISOs
reported
being
stressed
at
work,
with
65%
confiding
that
work-stress
levels
compromised
their
ability
to
protect
their
organizations.
More
than
70%
of
the
CISOs
surveyed
believed
their
stress
levels
were
higher
than
their
colleagues
in
other
areas
of
the
business.
Unfortunately,
CISO
stress
levels
were
not
confined
to
the
leadership
role.
Employee
burnout
is
spreading
like
wildfire
across
security
teams.
Increased
workloads
are
affecting
all
levels
of
the
department,
creating
high
churn
rates
while
simultaneously
hampering
recruitment
efforts.
Nearly
three-quarters
of
the
CISOs
surveyed
said
they
had
employees
quit
during
the
past
year
because
of
stress
–
with
47%
reporting
more
than
one
employee
exiting
their
role.
The
rise
in
churn
rates
is
leaving
CISOs
with
a
limited
pool
of
candidates,
underscoring
the
current
talent
shortage
that
is
happening
across
the
cybersecurity
space.
When
asked
about
their
hiring
process,
83%
of
CISOs
said
they
have
had
to
compromise
on
candidate
selection
–
hiring
employees
who
lacked
necessary
skills
and
capabilities.
CISOs
on
the
Job:
Why
So
Many
CISOs
Are
Reconsidering
Their
Role
Today’s
economic
climate
is
having
a
major
impact
on
cybersecurity
departments.
Reduced
budgets,
hiring
freezes,
and
lack
of
resources
are
all
leading
to
untenable
workloads
for
CISOs
and
their
staff.
In
fact,
38%
of
CISOs
reported
they
are
considering
or
actively
searching
for
a
new
job.
The
reality
is
that
security
teams
are
inundated
with
alerts
–
required
to
manage
an
overwhelming
number
of
cybersecurity
threats
coming
from
all
directions.
The
surge
in
work
responsibilities
is
putting
a
spotlight
on
cybersecurity
program
gaps
with
many
outside
of
the
IT
department
questioning
the
safety
of
the
organization.
Nearly
80%
of
CISOs
surveyed
said
they
had
received
complaints
from
their
bosses,
colleagues,
or
subordinates
about
how
security
tasks
were
being
handled.
Consequently,
93%
of
CISOs
say
they
are
spending
more
time
than
they
should
on
tactical
tasks
(versus
strategic
high-quality
work).
It’s
a
vicious
cycle:
the
lack
of
appropriate
headcounts
and
resources
lead
to
CISOs
managing
too
many
tedious,
redundant
work
tasks
which
result
in
less
than
satisfactory
security
outcomes
–
opening
the
door
to
high-stress
work
environments.
CISOs
at
Home:
How
Work-Related
Stress
Is
Impacting
Their
Personal
Life
Anyone
who
has
ever
held
a
job
knows
it’s
difficult
to
leave
work-related
stress
at
work.
But
for
CISOs,
it’s
especially
difficult
to
manage
a
healthy
work-life
balance
because
of
the
critical
and
immediate
nature
of
their
work
responsibilities.
According
to
the
survey,
a
whopping
84%
of
CISOs
said
they
had
postponed
or
canceled
a
vacation
because
of
an
urgent
security
task
–
11%
report
this
has
happened
four
or
more
times
during
the
past
year.
Work
fatigue
has
caused
64%
of
CISOs
to
cancel
a
private
event
and
77%
of
the
CISOs
surveyed
claim
that
work-related
stress
is
impacting
their
physical
health.
The
survey
makes
clear
how
CISO
stress
levels
are
impacting
every
part
of
their
life;
meanwhile,
cybersecurity
threats
continue
to
grow
at
an
alarming
rate.
How
Businesses
Can
Help
Reduce
CISO
Stress
Levels
The
mental
health
of
your
employees
impacts
every
facet
of
the
business.
According
to
a
report
from
the
MIT
Sloan
Management
Review,
“Organizations
outperforming
their
peers
are
those
that
have
cultivated
a
strong
sense
of
empathy
and
flexibility,
developed
new
skills
to
address
workforce
needs,
and
extended
holistic
mental
health
support
to
employees.”
A
stressed
out
security
team
is
not
operating
at
full
capacity,
missing
key
threats
and
leaving
the
organization
vulnerable
to
attacks.
It
stands
to
reason
that
improving
work-related
stress
levels
for
CISOs
–
and
their
staff
–
has
a
direct
impact
on
the
business’
cybersecurity
efforts.
But
what
deliberate
steps
can
businesses
take
to
reduce
work-related
stress
levels?
For
starters,
100%
of
CISOs
said
they
need
additional
resources
to
cope
with
security
challenges,
including
automation
capabilities,
better
training
opportunities,
and
the
ability
to
outsource
tasks.
More
than
half
of
the
CISOs
surveyed
want
the
ability
to
consolidate
security
technologies
on
a
single
platform
–
a
move
they
said
would
directly
impact
their
work
life,
helping
to
lower
stress
levels.
Ultimately,
businesses
that
fail
to
address
CISO
stress
levels
are
putting
their
company
at
risk.
It
is
impossible
to
prioritize
cybersecurity
initiatives
without
taking
into
account
the
mental
health
of
the
teams
that
manage
it.
Protecting
your
CISO’s
well-being
is
the
first
step
to
protecting
your
business.
To
find
out
how
you
can
reverse
rising
CISO
work
stress
levels
and
better
protect
your
business,
download
Cynet’s
full
report
now:
2023
Implications
of
Stress
on
CISOs
2023
Survey.
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