Coffee Tagging Posed as a Significant Security Threat
In the evolving landscape of hybrid work, a new phenomenon known as "coffee badging" has emerged as a significant challenge for organizations. This practice, coined by Owl Labs in their 2023 State of Hybrid Work report, refers to employees briefly visiting the office to clock in or swipe their badge, then returning home to work remotely.
This seemingly innocuous behaviour, rooted in a desire for flexibility, poses tangible security risks. By creating inaccuracies in attendance logs, coffee badging undermines policies designed to ensure adequate staffing and supervision onsite. It disrupts access control protocols, leaving areas intended to have supervised access unattended or with unauthorized presence, thereby increasing risks of theft, data exposure, or other security breaches.
Moreover, the challenges to monitoring controls mean that organizations relying on badge access data for physical and cybersecurity measures might face difficulties detecting actual presence versus nominal presence. This can hinder investigations and compliance with security policies, especially when management trust is undermined by coffee badging practices.
The disconnect between badge-ins and actual in-office presence can also enable employees to bypass oversight, potentially engaging in unapproved device use or network connections from unsecured remote sites while appearing compliant with in-office rules. This, in turn, increases the opportunity for shadow IT or non-compliance.
The issue of coffee badging is complex, blending workforce management, trust, and security concerns in hybrid work environments. According to Owl Labs' 2024 report, 44% of hybrid employees admitted to coffee badging, indicating a widespread problem. The practice is particularly prevalent among millennials, with 63% admitting to the behaviour, followed by 43% of Gen Z and 38% of baby boomers.
To address these concerns, some companies have implemented enhanced monitoring tools and more frequent individual check-ins. However, a more holistic approach to identity and access management is required, treating identity as the cornerstone of both flexibility and security. Embracing genuine flexibility by focusing on outcomes instead of physical presence can help eliminate the motivation for such workarounds.
Modernizing workplace security is critical to improving operational oversight, tightening security, and enhancing employee experience in a hybrid work environment. Unified frameworks should verify who is accessing a system or space, not just what they're carrying. Static identifiers, such as physical badges, only serve the basic function of identifying a person or object, not authenticating individuals.
The push to return to the office is stronger than ever, five years into the remote work era, which was initially fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it is essential to strike a balance between ensuring employee well-being and maintaining security. A culture of "presenteeism" encourages coffee badging and other workarounds, which jeopardize security and compliance.
Rob Lydic, the president of Wavelynx, a provider of interoperable and secure access control solutions, emphasizes the importance of a balanced hybrid policy. He states, "Embracing genuine flexibility by focusing on outcomes instead of physical presence can help eliminate the motivation for such workarounds."
In conclusion, coffee badging poses a significant challenge in hybrid work environments, creating serious blind spots in physical access control and cybersecurity protocols. To mitigate these risks, a more holistic approach to identity and access management is necessary, treating identity as the cornerstone of both flexibility and security.
- Rob Lydic, a leader in access control solutions, emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than physical presence to eliminate workarounds like coffee badging.
- The practice of coffee badging, admittedly engaged in by 44% of hybrid employees according to Owl Labs' 2024 report, can create significant security risks by undermining attendance logs, access control protocols, and compliance with security policies.
- In the hybrid workplace, a more holistic approach to identity and access management is required, treating identity as the cornerstone of both flexibility and security, as highlighted by Rob Lydic, president of Wavelynx.
- As the push to return to the office continues, it's crucial to maintain a balance between employee well-being and security, as a culture of presenteeism can lead to the emergence of workarounds like coffee badging in the hybrid work environment, potentially jeopardizing both.
