Nearly every organization has policies around acceptable use, passwords, remote access, and data classification. They’re written, approved, and stored away in a portal or handbook. And then?
They’re ignored.
This is not an opinion—it’s reality. When employees can’t recall policies, don’t follow them, or don’t even know where they’re stored, your organization isn't protected. You're just compliant on paper.
To fix the problem, we have to understand it. Here are the most common reasons employees—and sometimes even security teams—tune out policies.
Security policies are often created to check a compliance box. As a result, they’re packed with legal language, technical jargon, and vague obligations. The intended audience? Auditors. The actual users? Employees who need clear direction—and aren't getting it.
A 20-page PDF may cover every scenario, but no one will read it—especially if it’s written in dense blocks of text. The average employee doesn’t have time to parse a document that looks like a compliance textbook. They want fast answers to clear questions.
Most people follow rules when they understand why they matter. But policies are usually distributed without stories, scenarios, or real-world risks. When employees don’t see how a rule protects them—or the company—they’re less likely to follow it.
If policies live in a SharePoint folder no one accesses or are emailed as unreadable attachments, they’re effectively invisible. And if they’re only referenced during onboarding or annual reviews, they're also forgotten.
Most policies end with a checkbox. "Read and acknowledged." That’s not the same as “understood and adopted.” Without training, reinforcement, and accountability, policy adoption remains superficial.
A mid-sized professional services firm had a clear MFA policy in place—requiring multi-factor authentication across all critical systems. It was documented, approved, and shared.
But an internal review revealed:
One of those accounts was compromised in a phishing attack. Because MFA wasn’t enforced, the attacker accessed sensitive client files. The breach cost the firm over $2 million in investigation, response, and reputational damage.
The policy was there. It just wasn't read—or followed.
If you want your policies to be useful—not just audit-proof—here’s how to rethink them:
Use plain language. Replace passive voice and formal language with direct instructions. Instead of saying, "Users must adhere to secure authentication protocols," say, "Always use multi-factor authentication to log in."
The simpler the language, the more people will understand and apply it.
Segment content by use case or team. Create short, actionable policy guides like:
Each guide should be no more than one to two pages. If it needs more, you may be trying to solve too many problems in one document.
Instead of just listing rules, show employees what failure looks like. A simple line like “Ignoring this rule once led to a $500K breach at another company” will get more attention than a legal clause.
Case studies and anonymized incidents can help reinforce the importance of policy compliance in a way that sticks.
Embed policy links in tools people already use—Slack, Microsoft Teams, your HR portal, or even your onboarding system. Use short videos, tooltips, or just-in-time guidance built into workflows.
The closer your policy is to the behavior it governs, the more likely people are to follow it.
Make policy awareness part of your culture. That could include:
Policies shouldn’t be static—they should evolve and be discussed openly.
Data backs up the disconnect between security policy creation and adoption. According to a 2024 report by Ponemon Institute, only 28% of employees surveyed could accurately recall key points from their organization’s security policies. Meanwhile, over 60% of organizations reported that internal policy violations were a contributing factor in at least one security incident over the past year. Even more alarming, a study by Gartner found that nearly 70% of mid-sized enterprises update their policies annually but fail to conduct engagement checks—meaning they have no idea if anyone actually reads or understands them. These numbers show that having policies isn’t enough—what matters is whether people know them, follow them, and act on them.
It’s not enough to have policies. You need to know whether they’re working. Ask:
If the answers show confusion, avoidance, or lack of visibility—start there.
Security policies are not security controls. They’re guidance documents. Their power comes from the clarity they bring and the behavior they inspire.
If they’re not read, not understood, or not followed, they’re just window dressing. That’s not enough when your threat landscape is evolving daily.
Strong security starts with clear communication. That begins with rewriting the policies you already have—and making sure your people know why they matter.
If you're ready to move beyond checkbox compliance and build security policies people actually follow, we can help. Contact us to modernize your policy framework and bring security into everyday decisions.
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