A whopping 75% of employees leaving their jobs could be described as “disgruntled.” Some people leave and are just mad about it and leave it alone. Others go a few steps further and try to do something to damage the company. That can include damaging or stealing data before (or, in some cases, after) they leave. You never know when an angry employee might be plotting something, so your best option is to prepare for a sudden shift as early as you can.
Partnering with HR
The best way to protect your data is to partner with your company’s Human Resources department. They should be well aware of any shifts in team before they happen, so they can prepare you. You should be ready to revoke passwords and login rights as soon as the employee is let go. If you don’t have levels of security and access in your business, consider it (Creating Levels of Security in Your Business). Beyond that, make sure all keycards are either confiscated or deactivated.
Monitor Your Data
You should be able to tell if something goes missing or something mysteriously appears where it wasn’t earlier. If a disgruntled employee plans to retaliate, it should happen within the first week. Keep an eye on any strange login attempts or attempts from existing employees logging in at odd times.
Cloud Backup
Data theft is one thing; data being destroyed is another. Whereas data theft can prove to be a PR nightmare, the destruction of data can cause serious damage to the business. You should have all of your data backed up to the cloud. To back up your data, use a solution that encrypts your data before flight, and offers plenty of security in the cloud to ensure that no disgruntled employee can hack in.
Corporate Psychologist
If your company is going through a major restructuring that will affect many people, consider onboarding a corporate psychologist to help people deal with the issues they’ll be facing. Both before and after the restructuring, a corporate psychologist can prepare people for the changes ahead and, in some cases, lessen the blow, as well as sort out any backlash that may occur after the restructuring. They’re trained to serve both the business and the employees’ interests, making any kind of retaliation less likely.