Nine out of 10 UK bosses are concerned about security risks to their staff, according to new research.
The CBI/QinetiQ Business Security Survey, published yesterday, examines the attitudes of 100 CBI member companies across a broad range of security issues.
The in-depth telephone research carried out by MORI confirmed security is top of the agenda for corporate Britain, with 97 per cent describing it as a matter of great or some concern.
Staff issues were a running theme in the findings. Ninety-five per cent of business leaders felt that having a security plan in place was a benefit, in that it reassured staff, a finding that may well reflect the fact that security is increasingly perceived to influence “where shall I work” decisions. However, just 26 per cent perceived that having a security plan was a ‘great benefit’, in enhancing their ability to recruit and retain staff.
Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, chair of security technology specialist QinetiQ said: “Companies aren’t just talking about security, they are investing substantial sums of money.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“However, businesses need to think carefully about where those investments are made. Simply adding more security staff is not a good enough safeguard – technology is the enabler for security. It protects and checks networks, goods, people and premises and can be used to help train its security staff effectively,” she added.
The types of security incident causing most worry are terrorist action, environmental terrorism and computer hacking, with some of the larger companies also highlighting animal rights activity.
