Half of cyber security professionals suffer work-related stress

According to a new survey by the Chartered Institute of Information Security, half of cyber security professionals suffer work-related stress and almost a quarter work more than 48 hours per week.

While not surprising, it’s also not sustainable.

The days of working until we drop, having an espresso and working more are long gone. It doesn’t fit our appreciation for work/life balance or awareness of how important wellness is to all of us.

If your cyber teams are more stressed than they should be, perhaps its time to ask for help from Cloud Heroes.

Work-related stress

The recent Chartered Institute of Information Security’s (CIISec) 2022/2023 State of the Profession report found that the security industry is “still plagued by issues including stress and overwork”, with nearly one-quarter (22%) of respondents working more than 48 hours per week.

Almost 8% of those that responded to the survey said they were working more than 55 hours per week.

“The industry cannot rest on its laurels,” CIISec chief executive Amanda Finch said. “It must do more to ensure talent is properly supported and not burnt out.”

Key to this will be equipping them with the right skills, and attracting fresh blood into the industry to ensure teams aren’t put under undue pressure.”

The challenges of cyber security

Anyone who has worked in security for any length of time will know how stressful it can be.

It shouldn’t be stressful all the time though. Integrating new systems, dealing with attacks and real-time events all elevate the stress level.

But then things should slow back down to a more sustainable level to enable everyone to recover.

It seems in at least half of British companies, that slowdown and recovery isn’t happening.

That’s not good for the company, for the staff or for cyber security as a whole.

There is already a skills shortage and that’s set to get worse unless action is taken.

The survey also pointed out that lots of people are looking to a career in cyber security but there is a definite skills shortage.

Respondents identified problem solving and analytical skills being most in demand.

“Traditionally, the cybersecurity industry has been seen as a super-technical career. However, as we can see it is much more than that,” said Finch.

“It demands social, managerial, investigative and even financial capabilities. The industry must start doing better at advertising the opportunities to use different skills to broaden cybersecurity’s appeal.”

The amazing opportunities in cyber security

That same survey also said 80% of respondents said they have “good” or “excellent” career prospects. We would agree.

“The cybersecurity industry is thriving. It has many opportunities for people from almost any background, and the need for cybersecurity is greater than ever as threats continue to rise – making a critical function essentially recession-proof,” said Finch.

Cyber security can be one of the best jobs there is. It’s cutting-edge, exciting, challenging and has amazing prospects.

However, if we continue to allow staff to burn out, go off sick or leave the profession, it’s not good news for anyone.

We’ll end up with all the good people leaving and a skills gap we’ll struggle to overcome.

Cloud Heroes cyber security services

If your business is suffering personnel or skills shortages, Cloud Heroes can help.

Work with us and we’ll help you deliver cutting-edge security using fully trained staff, 24/7 monitoring and a range of security services depending on your needs.

Lower the stress on your own security teams by letting us take up the slack. We can provide a wide range of services covering hosting, monitoring, prevention and more.

Contact one of our team to learn more about how Cloud Heroes can help lower your stress and improve your cyber security.