Security News > 2024 > June > Most cybersecurity pros took time off due to mental health issues

74% of cybersecurity professionals globally say that they have taken time off due to work-related mental well-being problems, with staff reporting taking an average of 3.4 sick days per year due to work-related mental well-being problems.

66% of business leaders globally say that the top reasons why cybersecurity professionals are working over their contracted hours are due to increased numbers of cybersecurity threats and unpredictable threats after work hours.

In contrast, 89% of cybersecurity professionals say the workload, volume of projects to deliver, and the time needed to deliver tasks are the key causes of burnout.

"Cybersecurity professionals are at the forefront of a battle they know they are going to lose at some point, it is just a matter of time. It's a challenging industry and businesses need to recognize that without motivation, cybersecurity professionals won't be at the top of their game. We've worked with both cybersecurity and business leaders to understand the challenges the industry faces. What we've discovered shows just how difficult the job is and that there is a significant gap of understanding between the board and the professionals," said Haris Pylarinos, CEO at Hack The Box.

"Stress, burnout and mental health in cybersecurity is at an all-time high. It's also not just the junior members of the team, but right up to the CISO level too," said Sarb Sembhi, CTO at Virtually Informed.

"It's a difficult topic to navigate as it's so personal to the individual, but building in the right support and processes has so many advantages for the people and the enterprise. We need to equip cybersecurity professionals with the tools to effectively manage the stressful situation of a cyber crisis. We've seen how a cybersecurity crisis can have the same effect as serious trauma on an individual's body. It's shocking. The profession needs to work together on this, or the most experienced professionals will leave with no way to defend our essential enterprise services and departments," added Sembhi.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/06/20/cybersecurity-stress-burnout-cost/