Seven in 10 employees admit to using their work laptop for personal activities, including online shopping, booking holidays, and even applying for other jobs. A poll of 2,000 workers commissioned by Samsung found that 35% use their work device for non-work tasks at least once a week, and 21% have shared it with household members.
Blurred Boundaries in Hybrid Work
The shift to hybrid working has blurred the lines between professional and personal life, according to 27% of respondents. While 26% worry about their boss discovering their personal use, 54% believe their employer has little awareness of how they use the company computer outside working hours.
Employees store a mix of data on their work laptops: 63% keep confidential company documents, 18% store personal photos, and nearly a third access personal emails. A quarter use autofill for personal accounts, and 26% remain permanently logged into personal accounts.
Security Risks and Awareness
Annika Bizon, a spokesperson for Samsung, which released the research alongside the Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, said: “For many people, a laptop has become the gateway to both their professional and personal lives. It provides access to company systems, sensitive documents, financial information and personal accounts, all through a single device. As laptops continue to play an important role in how we work and live, security has never been more important.”
Although 84% claim to be aware of the risks of using an employer-owned device for personal activities, 37% are more concerned about breaking company policy than about work (36%) or personal (32%) information being at risk. Two-thirds use their work laptop to access sensitive client information, and 69% say losing it would be more disruptive than losing their work phone.
Data Storage and Encryption Gaps
Almost a fifth (18%) say they always need to access both work and personal information in one place. Just over one in 10 (11%) argue that their need for personal use outweighs security concerns. While 84% say their work laptop contains more work-related information than any other device, 14% admit they don’t know exactly what personal information is stored on it, and 71% are unsure whether their laptop is encrypted.
Bizon added: “Our new product brings together our strongest security offering to date, helping businesses better protect sensitive information whilst supporting flexible ways of working.”
