Nearly half employees polled admit to sharing workplace passwords, reveals survey.

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22nd July 2021 16:52 - Information Technology

Nearly half employees polled admit to sharing workplace passwords: A survey has revealed that nearly half the professionals polled have shared their passwords in or out of the workplace, with email being the most common way for employees to share their details.

The survey by Beyond Identity polled more than 1,000 employees in professional roles, also finding that 46% of respondents believe strict passwords hamper productivity.

When asked about how they store or remember their passwords, over a third said they write them down on paper, with 38% of respondents using a secure password manager as an alternative. Around a quarter (26% )stated they don’t store their passwords at all, a much more secure but possibly problematic way of remembering login details.

The survey also revealed that just over a quarter of respondents say their personal email has the same password as their work account. Furthermore, 22% stated they have the same work account password as bank login and 18% admitted to using the same password for their social media accounts as they do for work.

Two-fifths (42%) of professionals say they have shared their work passwords with employees, with mid-sized companies (50-249 workers) more likely to share their details. The study also found that two-thirds of those who admitted to sharing their passwords did so with their co-workers, however, over a third said they have shared their work account details with their family or their significant other.

Despite the apparent lack of security regarding the protection of workplace passwords, 73% of respondents believe their employer’s password policy is ‘about right’. Many employees also believe companies passwords shouldn’t be used in the workplace because most companies have secure enough protection against cyber-crime, but it would eliminate a lot of day-to-day workplace hassle.

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