Cybersecurity Workers Are Experiencing Overwork and Burnout – and How You Can Support Them

January 24, 2023

Look around you; a cybersecurity expert on your team is probably quietly struggling. A new study shows limited resources in the form of human talent are putting more pressure on IT security teams. The problem only intensified with The Great Resignation, where, in 2021 alone, more than 47 million people quit their jobs. Eighty-four percent of survey respondents said that someone on their cybersecurity team quit within the past six months. Those resignations pressured the remaining team to adequately monitor for vulnerabilities, respond to security incidents, and maintain security standards.

Learn How Your Company Can Provide Additional Support to These Teams

The Current State of the Cybersecurity Workforce

If you’re in cybersecurity right now, the idea of work/life balance is like a punchline to a joke. Kaspersky analysts say the cyber threats will come fast and furiously in 2023, from phishing and ransomware at the local employee level to DDoS AI-driven automated attacks in the cloud. When you tack these challenges on to lots of quitting and a cybersecurity talent shortage, you can start to imagine the pressures that today’s tech security teams face.

It’s no wonder that ZDNet says, “Cybersecurity burnout is real. And it’s going to be a problem for all of us.” Right now, there are close to 600,000 open cybersecurity roles available. To say we don’t have enough talent to go around is an understatement that probably keeps your hiring teams up at night. Unfortunately, it’s also keeping your cybersecurity tech workers up at night as they carry a heavy workload. We know that’s at least partially why 32% of IT managers and 25% of IT directors are considering quitting their roles in the next six months.

Burnout affects your tech workers in a variety of ways:

It increases job turnover
It creates human error
It makes your employees less healthy
It crushes the positive work environment you’ve tried to build

One study showed:

88% of data breaches were caused by human error
47% of employees cited distraction as the reason behind falling for a phishing email
44% of employees cite stress and tiredness as a contributor to missing a phishing scam

In this environment, is there anything employers can do to help protect their cybersecurity teams from burning out?

How Can You Support Your Cybersecurity Teams?

Now more than ever, it is critical that you retain your existing cybersecurity workforce. Consider supporting your cybersecurity teams in these three ways.

Create a culture of cyber accountability
Cybersecurity is everyone’s problem. Every member of your team should be aware of the latest threats by bad actors that could affect them on the ground. Providing regular training, updates, and information on cybersecurity creates a culture of awareness that can make the job of your cybersecurity team a little easier in the long run.

Give your cybersecurity team the tools they ask for
Your cybersecurity budget should reflect the necessity of providing your teams with the tools they need to work smarter. Tech is evolving to leverage the latest in artificial intelligence to automate mundane tasks. So, the next time your tech team asks for an upgrade in the tools they’re using, please do your best to provide it and lighten their load.

Get your cybersecurity team the help they need
Challenging times call for new partnerships. That’s where Prosum can help. We’ve been staffing in the IT space for two decades. When it’s time to hire cybersecurity help to improve the working conditions of your existing team, do them a favor and call on Prosum.