Category Archives: Workplace

Women of Color Lag Behind Economy

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“Race and racism create specific, unique challenges for women of color that are too easily ignored with broad platitudes that seek to advance women’s representation without questioning which women are most likely to benefit.“ ~ Adia Harvey Wingfield, author of the book Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Care in the New Economy

Race and gender continue to create divergent and uneven outcomes for women of all races and men of color in America.

An oft-cited statistic reveals that women make 79 cents for every dollar men earn. But Black women earn only 64 cents on the dollar, and for Latinas,.racism and ,.racism and” it is a dismal 54 cents.

As it was in the early 20th century, women of color continue to experience occupational and economic disadvantages that reflect the ways both race and gender affect their work experiences.

Research indicates that both factors, racism and sexism, impact women of color in professional settings. The factors adversely affect Black women in a variety of occupations through stifled leadership opportunities, the ongoing persistence of specific forms of sexual harassment, and subtle but pervasive doubts about competence, intelligence, and skill that are unrelated to actual performance, according to a Brookings Institution report.

In a study by Adia Harvey Wingfield, Black women doctors observed that

The medical community is sorely lacking in diversity with respect to Black women doctors.

Black women doctors, in a study by Adia Harvey Wingfield, observed that race and gender were key factors shaping the challenges they faced in the field.

Despite being 7% of the U.S. population, Black women are a paltry 3% of medical doctors today, a disparity that has devastating consequences for health equity in a rapidly diversifying society.

Working in a profession dominated by white men, Black women doctors are very attuned to the ways that sexism impacts their lives. For instance, nearly every Black woman doctor with whom Wingfield spoke shared accounts of being mistaken for a nurse rather than a doctor, so much so that they argued that when it came to their everyday interactions, gender was a much more significant factor than race.

Source: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/women-are-advancing-in-the-workplace-but-women-of-color-still-lag-behind/

Cyber Security: Recognize Social Engineering

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Social engineering is highly successful because the cyber criminals make their work look and sound legitimate, sometimes even helpful, which makes it easier to deceive users. 

Large companies, like Equifax and Home Depot, are often the target of the most sophisticated and large-scale cyberattacks, but attacks aimed at small businesses can be equally as devastating. Some of the most common social engineering threats include phishing emails, texts or phone calls and malware.

Stay vigilant to social engineering

Small businesses need to do more to protect their IT systems against growing cyber threats. Larger companies have taken significant steps and dedicated significant resources to secure their systems.  As a result, less cyber secure small businesses have become easier targets for cyber criminals.

95% of cyber security breaches are due to human error!

Most small businesses and organizations lack the resources to hire dedicated IT staff and incorporate basic cyber security processes to protect their business, information and customers from cyber threats. Even a small business with one computer or one credit card terminal can benefit from strengthening their cyber security protocols.

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Social engineering is used by many criminals, both online and off, to trick unsuspecting people into giving away their personal information and/or installing malicious software onto their computers, devices or networks.  Social engineering is a psychological attack where an attacker tricks you into doing something you should not do through various manipulation techniques. Think of scammers or con artists; it is the same idea. However, today’s technology makes it much easier for any attacker from anywhere in the world, to pretend to be anything or anyone they want, and target anyone around the world, including you.

Social engineering is successful because the cyber criminals are doing their best to make their work look and sound legitimate, sometimes even helpful, which makes it easier to deceive users.  A 2014 IBM study revealed that human error was the primary reason for 95% of cybersecurity breaches.

Most offline social engineering occurs over the telephone, but it frequently occurs online. Information gathered from social networks or posted on websites can be enough to create a convincing ruse to trick your employees. For example, LinkedIn profiles, Facebook posts and Twitter messages can allow a criminal to assemble detailed dossiers on employees. Teaching people the risks involved in sharing personal or business details on the social media can help you partner with your staff to prevent both personal and organizational losses.

Many criminals use social engineering tactics to get individuals to voluntarily install malicious computer software such as fake antivirus, thinking they are doing something that will help make them more secure. Fake antivirus is designed to steal information by mimicking legitimate security software. Users who are tricked into loading malicious programs on their computers may be providing remote control capabilities to an attacker, unwittingly installing software that can steal financial information or simply try to sell them fake security software. The malware can also make system modifications which make it difficult to terminate the program.

The presence of pop-ups displaying unusual security warnings and asking for credit card or personal information is the most obvious method of identifying a fake antivirus infection.

Guard against cyberthreats

Here are 10 tips to help small businesses and organizations to guard against new and emerging cyberthreats:

  1. Develop or review your cybersecurity plan. An effective cybersecurity plan should include strong network security, encryption and authentication technologies. The FCC offers a free cybersecurity planner for small business owners.
  2. Use a firewall and antivirus software. Protect your internet connection by setting up a firewall and encryption. All computers should be equipped with antivirus software and antispyware. Set up automatic software updates on all company devices to ensure security fixes are in place.
  3. Secure your Wi-Fi network. Make sure your Wi-Fi network is secure with password-protected access to your router. Set up a separate guest account with a different password for customers or clients who need to access Wi-Fi, so they don’t have access to your main network.
  4. Protect your devices. Hackers can use a stolen laptop, smartphone or tablet to access your network. Maintain an inventory of equipment, and make sure your employees know to secure any company devices when not in use.
  5. Back up your data. Store data in several places, using off-site and cloud-based services. If you become a victim of a cyberattack, you’ll be able to restore operations quickly without having to pay for a ransomware decryption key.
  6. Strengthen passwords. Enforce strict company-wide policies for creating strong passwords, using different passwords for different applications and changing passwords on a regular basis.
  7. Educate employees. Develop an employee training program to ensure everyone understands security policies and procedures. Schedule refresher courses periodically to keep employees informed.
  8. Increase email security. Train your employees on how to spot a phishing attempt by paying close attention to URLs and reading emails carefully, even those appearing to come from a known sender. Ask them to avoid opening unknown or unexpected email attachments (especially compressed or ZIP files) or clicking on links.
  9. Separate your important data. Reduce the damage of a potential security breach by making sure your data isn’t all stored on one device or in one place. For instance, don’t keep your payroll information on the same device you use to process credit card payments. That way, if one of your devices is compromised, some of your data will still be safe.
  10. Implement an incident response plan. Documenting what to do in the event of a security breach—such as who to notify and where backups are stored—can save your organization valuable time in a crisis.

Cyber training and protocols can make a crucial difference in reducing or eliminating the number of cybersecurity breaches.

References:

  1. https://transition.fcc.gov/cyber/cyberplanner.pdf
  2. https://www.navyfederal.org/resources/articles/small-business/protect-your-business.php
  3. https://www.sans.org/security-awareness-training/resources/social-engineering-attacks/?utm_campaign=2020%20Social%20Media&utm_content=145945029&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-41655252
  4. https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/se-cyberindex2014/index.html#:~:text=IBM%20Security%20Services%202014%20Cyber%20Security%20Intelligence%20Index.,names%2C%20emails%2C%20credit%20card%20numbers%2C%20and%20passwords%E2%80%94were%20stolen.

The 6 Feet Office | Cushman & Wakefield

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Helping Adjust to a New COVID-19 Normal

Cushman & Wakefield has begun visualizing life after the COVID-19 lockdowns and ‘stay at home’ orders come to an end. From their prospective, it is important for employers to think about the new normal and how they plan to adjust once people return to the workplace.

“The 6 feet rule” isn’t going away any time soon and it is critical to normalize this guideline into everyday life. Eventually, Americans will return to the workplace, but they must not forget the ‘six foot’ physical distancing rule.

The core premise is to ensure that six feet, the recommended measurement for safe social distancing, stays between people at all times. This behavior is encouraged through properly spaced desks, but also visual signals, such as a circle embedded in the carpeting around each desk to ensure people don’t get too close.

Cushman & Wakefield Introduces the 6 Feet Office. 

The 6 Feet Office is Cushman & Wakefield’s conceptual idea to help their clients prepare for their employees to return to the office. 

Cushman & Wakefield: 6 FEET OFFICE CONCEPT CONSISTS OF SIX ELEMENTS:

  1. 6 Feet Quick Scan: A concise but thorough analysis of the current working environment in the field of virus safety and any other opportunities for improvement.
  2. 6 Feet Rules: A set of simple and clear workable agreements and rules of conduct that put the safety of everyone first.
  3. 6 Feet Routing: A visually displayed and unique routing for each office, making traffic flows completely safe.
  4. 6 Feet Workstation: An adapted and fully equipped workplace at which the user can work safely.
  5. 6 Feet Facility: A trained employee who advises on and operationally ensures an optimally functioning and safe facility environment.
  6. 6 Feet Certificate: A certificate stating that measures have been taken to implement a virus-safe working environment.

References:

  1. https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/netherlands/six-feet-office
  2. https://www.fastcompany.com/90488060/our-offices-will-never-be-the-same-after-covid-19-heres-what-they-could-look-like