CYBER SECURITY: NOT READY; WOMEN PAY THE PRICE.

CYBER SECURITY: NOT READY; WOMEN PAY THE PRICE.

Welcome to this week’s business and media intelligence update.

CYBER SECURITY: NOT READY 

As the fallout from the Optus cybersecurity breach continues, a new survey has found that Australian company boards lack awareness of the scale, frequency and severity of global cyberattacks.

A survey by MIT Sloan Management School and cyber security firm Proofpoint shortly before the Optus data leak confirmed that only half of Australian board directors believed their company was at risk of a large-scale cyberattack, compared to 68 per cent of Chief Information Security Officers (CISO).

Proofpoint’s CISO Lucia Milaca said it was crucial that cybersecurity is put on the agenda every time boards meet to ensure effective cybersecurity management.

WOMEN PAY THE PRICE  

New figures from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) estimate menopause costs Australian women more than $17 billion in lost earnings and superannuation each year.

The peak not-for-profit sector body said women aged 45 to 54 retire more than seven years earlier than men with 44.9 per cent citing “sickness, injury or disability” for leaving their last job.

With many leaving the workforce at the peak of their experience and earning potential, the AIST is calling on the Federal Government, ahead of its first Budget later this month, to look at how menopause affects women’s employment, retirement decisions and incomes.

GEN Z vs SALARY SECRECY  

Gen Z are demanding the end to salary secrecy in the workplace to identify wage gaps and prevent discrimination, according to a new trend that’s emerged on TikTok (where else?).

Various accounts have popped up on the social media platform featuring Gen Z providing advice on how to initiate a salary discussion with bosses and asking strangers on the street what their profession is and how much they make.

This has rattled bosses’ cages as many are already struggling to meet young job seekers’ high salary expectations, with a new survey by RMIT Online finding that 46 per cent of managers believe their companies had to overpay for new hires in the past year.

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