CrashPlan report reveals disgruntled employees are intentionally deleting data, and their co-workers are worried that political activism is next
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, October 22, 2024 – Nearly one in six workers has experienced a co-worker intentionally deleting important company data before quitting a job. One in twenty has personally committed “Rage Deletion,” with GenZ employees being twice as likely (one in ten) to admit to doing so. That’s according to new research from backup and recovery leader CrashPlan. With the US presidential election approaching, 15% of respondents also worry that political activism could drive intentional deletion by departing co-workers.
CrashPlan surveyed more than 2,300 workers as part of its forthcoming Work Trend Security Report. It found that certain industries and roles were more vulnerable to Rage Deletion.
- Worry is highest (20%) among employees concerned about job security.
- Concern over Rage Deletion is highest in the technology industry (21%) and among programmers and developers (25%).
- The five roles that were most likely to admit to personally Rage Deleting were designers and design engineers (11%), writers and editors (9%), programmers and developers (7%) and video producers (7%).
- Millennials are most worried about political activism driving Rage Deletion (17%)
- Only 43% of companies provide tools that ensure employee data is backed up and only 39% provide clear policies mandating their use.
Where is all the rage coming from?
Rage Deleters are significantly less engaged at work and more frustrated than other employees. They are more likely to feel increased pressure to show productivity at work, are more concerned about their job security, and are more than twice as likely as others to be seeking new jobs. They’re less often managers, but they are also more likely than others to have worked overtime more than ten times in the previous month. They have received cybersecurity training less often and are less likely to feel their employer invests sufficiently in professional development. Rage Deleters are less likely to look forward to going to work and significantly less proud of their workplaces. And they are twice as likely as others to have already experienced a co-worker’s Rage Deletion.
“The signs of employee disengagement and dissatisfaction show up in the way they use technology. Obviously, it doesn’t usually escalate to sabotage, but our research clearly shows that disengaged employees are less careful with their data,” said CrashPlan CISO Todd Thorsen. “Every company has a simple choice – with a few keystrokes their intellectual property or important records can vanish forever, or just as quickly they can restore the data a disgruntled employee intended to destroy.”
About CrashPlan
CrashPlan provides cyber-ready data resilience and governance in a single platform for organizations whose ideas power their revenue. With its comprehensive backup and recovery capabilities for data stored on servers, on endpoint devices, and in SaaS applications, CrashPlan’s solutions are trusted by entrepreneurs, professionals, and businesses of all sizes worldwide. From ransomware recovery and breaches to migrations and legal holds, CrashPlan’s suite of products ensures the safety and compliance of your data without disruption.
Media Contact:
Brianna Bruinsma
Firebrand Communications
crashplan@firebrand.marketing
