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70% of employees use work laptops for personal tasks, Samsung finds

84% said they were aware of the risks of using a work laptop for personal activities, but 70% admitted to doing so outside working hours. 

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70% of employees use work laptops for personal tasks, Samsung finds
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70% of employees used their work laptop for personal admin, such as applying for jobs, online shopping, and booking holidays, according to research from Samsung. 

With hybrid working now common, 27% said the boundaries between work and personal life had blurred.

Almost a fifth said they needed to access both work and personal information in one place. 

Work laptops are now storing everything from confidential company documents (63%) to social media accounts (18%) and personal photos (18%).

84% said they were aware of the risks of using a work laptop for personal activities, but 70% admitted to doing so outside working hours. 

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Online shopping was most common, followed by holiday planning and online banking.

35% said they used their laptop for non-work activities at least once a week, even though 26% had concerns their boss might find out.

62% used their work laptop to access sensitive client information. 

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69% said losing their laptop would be more disruptive than losing their work phone.

Nearly a third saved personal emails on their work laptop, while a quarter used autofill for personal accounts. 

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71% admitted they did not know if their work laptop was encrypted.

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21% had shared their work laptop with another household member, with 14% saying they did not know exactly what personal information was stored on the device.

Annika Bizon, mobile experience vice president of product and marketing at Samsung UK & Ireland, 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.”

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Bizon added: “Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition brings together our strongest security offering on a Galaxy Book to date, helping businesses better protect sensitive information whilst supporting flexible ways of working.”

Data also showed that more than a quarter said they had personal accounts permanently logged in on their work laptop, while 54% said their employer had little visibility over how the device was used outside working hours.

39% agreed their work laptop contained a detailed picture of both their professional and personal lives. 

11% said their need to use their work laptop for personal activities outweighed their security concerns.

37% were more concerned about breaking company policy than they were about their work (36%) or personal (32%) information being at risk.

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