Hybrid work has quickly become the new normal. Flexibility and freedom are now central to how many of us operate. But beneath the convenience lies a set of serious, often overlooked risks.
By 2025, projections show that 22% of the U.S. workforce will be remote at least part of the time. This is more than a passing trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we work. Yet with this freedom comes real cost when things go wrong. A recent study revealed that the average cost of a data breach is more than $1 million higher when remote work is involved.
This raises the critical question: if your company has embraced hybrid work, have your security and compliance frameworks kept pace?
The shift to hybrid work was swift, and in that rush, many organizations carried over compliance rules designed for an office-first world. This creates a false sense of security—the assumption that policies and protections designed for a corporate office automatically extend to an employee’s home environment.
But a living room is not a cubicle.
When employees work remotely, company data leaves the fortress of firewalls, IT oversight, and secure networks. Instead, it flows through consumer-grade Wi-Fi, personal laptops, and environments where sensitive documents may be discarded improperly.
This shift gives rise to shadow IT—when employees use personal tools outside company systems. Examples include:
While these actions may seem harmless, they create invisible data trails and dangerous vulnerabilities, from unsecured home networks to potential violations of international data laws.
Hybrid work doesn’t just expand your office footprint—it multiplies your legal responsibilities.
For example:
Beyond state laws, industry-specific regulations and internal policies add further complexity. In fact, U.S. regulators recently fined major banks nearly $2 billion because employees bypassed official systems, using personal apps for business communication.
Remote work also tests company culture and policies:
One truth remains: your code of conduct is not tied to a building. The same standards of professionalism, ethics, and confidentiality apply—whether employees are in the office, at home, or in a coffee shop.
The challenges of hybrid work are real, but they can be addressed with a proactive framework. Here’s a five-step approach:
Compliance cannot rest on one department alone. It is a shared responsibility, with leadership driving a culture of security from the top down.
In this hybrid era, compliance cannot be assumed. It must be intentional, deliberate, and continuously managed. The balance between flexibility and security depends on policies, technology, and culture working together.
So here’s the final question:
Is your compliance framework still built for the office of 2019, or is it ready for where and how your team actually works today?