News Flash: Most employees don't complain about security restrictions

Most senior IT executives are finding that employees who are blocked from visiting certain websites at the workplace don't complain about it much, according to a survey of 1400 CIOs by Robert Half Technology. This is rather run-of-the-mill news, it seems to me, but what is intriguing is how it has been publicized.

"Firewall Frustrations: CIOs Surveyed Say Employees Complain about IT Security Policies," reads the press release from Robert Half Technology. "Employees Cranky about Web Browsing Restrictions" reads a headline from NetworkWorld.

According to the survey numbers, however, just 12 percent of CIOs have found that complaints about IT security restrictions are very common. Twenty nine percent said that such complaints are somewhat common, while the majority--58 percent--said that these complaints are not common.   

Now if fewer than two out of 10 CIOs are finding this to be a big problem, I would think the headlines would read something along the lines of: "CIOs Surveyed Say Most Employees Don't Complain Much about IT Security Policies."

The press release announcing the survey results goes on to provide tips for employees to persuade their IT departments to loosen security restrictions, and it warns companies that they may need to compromise if they have a lot of complainers. It seems we are hearing more and more of this kind of advice from survey firms, consultants and analyst types, urging corporations to kowtow to Generation Y browsing and social networking habits.  

In my experience, though, 12 percent in pretty much any population can be expected to complain loudly about things. I suspect that a survey of HR directors would find more than four in 10 saying that complaints about vacation days, health benefits, expense accounts, and use of the lunch room are very common. I myself have been known to voice a hearty complaint about not being allowed to bring my dog to work. But how often do these kinds of complaints drive policies?

As network security threats grow in volume and sophistication, is this the time for companies to increase their vulnerability for the sake of employee access to the web? Why cater to a whining minority? Maybe one of you could write in and explain what I'm missing here. - Caron