The financial services sector has gone through an unprecedented period of change since the 2008 crash. From the eruption of FinTech, to Blockchain to increasing use of artificial intelligence, the financial services ecosystem is evolving at pace.
These technology changes have had a significant impact on the way employees work, in fact the financial services sector embodies ‘the new breed of lone worker’.
Typically, you would imagine a lone worker as an employee working alone, perhaps wearing a high vis vest somewhere in a remote location.
What is a lone worker?
In today’s modern world a lone worker is anybody that works alone, whether they are working from home, travelling or perhaps visiting clients.
When creating a lone working policy, it is important to consider all of the risks posed to your employees, especially when they are working alone. Surprising to most, financial services employees face higher risks than many other white-collar workers.
The risks surrounding financial services
Financial services employees tend to be provided with expensive equipment such as smartphones, laptops and tablets. Not only does this increase their risk profile in general, as these devices can be targeted for their resale value, but the nature of information held on them can often be highly valuable and sensitive, further compounding the risk of individuals carrying these devices being targeted.
The risk doesn’t stop at field based, flexible and home working employees but branch staff too. Although working in branch doesn’t go hand in hand with lone working, there have been several cases of branch employees being followed out of the branch on their commute home and once alone then threatened for access to sensitive information.
There is a variety of risk profiles within financial services and it is important to ensure all employee risk profiles, including the traditional ‘lone worker’, are assessed and the appropriate control measures put in place.
A solution for all staff
Lone worker solutions are not just for traditional ‘lone workers’; the functionality of a panic alarm and welfare checks should be available to all employees facing any of the risks highlighted above.
To find out more about how lone worker solutions can be used to provide protection, especially as working from home becomes a more widespread working arrangement, please get in touch today.