From security threats like unauthorized access and tailgating to natural disasters and cyberattacks, today's organizations face a complex web of risks that can seriously impact your business. The challenge? Many of these workplace threats evolve faster than traditional prevention strategies can keep up.

The scope of securing the workplace has expanded dramatically over the past decade. It's no longer just about protecting employees from physical violence or theft of physical or intellectual property. Modern workplace security now encompasses tackling digital security risks like cyberattacks, preparing for natural disaster or extreme weather events, and managing brand and reputation crises that can tarnish years of goodwill overnight.

In this guide, we'll break down the nine most common workplace threats organizations face today, provide actionable strategies to defend against external threats, and help you build a comprehensive approach to protect employees, visitors, and your bottom line.

Understanding today's workplace threat landscape

Before diving into specific types of workplace threats, it's worth understanding the scale of what organizations are up against.

According to OSHA, acts of violence represent the third leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that of the 5,283 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2023, 740 fatalities were due to violent acts, with homicides accounting for nearly 62% of those incidents.

But physical violence is just one piece of the puzzle. To make matters worse, advancements in technology are actually creating more challenges for security teams. Splunk's State of Security 2024 report found that 45% of organizations believe generative AI will make it even more challenging to defend against external threats, while data breaches now cost organizations an average of $4.88 million per incident.

The hybrid work environment has added another layer of complexity. With employees splitting time between home and office, organizations face fluctuating occupancy patterns that create security blind spots traditional approaches simply weren't designed to address. Understanding what a hybrid work model looks like and how it impacts security planning is essential for modern workplace leaders.

1. Physical violence and threatening behavior

Physical violence remains one of the most serious workplace threats organizations face. The Bureau of Labor Statisticsrecorded 57,610 nonfatal cases of workplace violence requiring days away from work, job restriction, or transfer between 2021 and 2022. Women accounted for 72.5% of these cases, with healthcare and social assistance workers facing the highest risk at an incidence rate of 14.2 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.

Threatening behavior often precedes physical violence, making early detection critical. Warning signs can include persistent complaints about unfair treatment, resistance to changes at work, emotional responses to criticism, and other threatening behavior that creates an uncomfortable environment.

How to respond: Regulations around employee safety and violence prevention are becoming stricter in many states. California's Senate Bill 553 (SB 553), for example, now requires employers with physical workspaces to implement workplace violence prevention plans or face fines starting at $18,000 per violation. Your prevention strategy should include:

• Establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence that covers employees, clients, visitors, and contractors
• Conduct background checks for new hires and document concerning behavior
• Train employees to recognize warning signs and report concerns through clear channels
• Create threat assessment protocols that involve HR, security, and where appropriate, legal counsel

‍

2. Unauthorized access, tailgating, vandalism, and forced entry

Workplace threats like unauthorized access, tailgating, vandalism, and forced entry are a constant concern for organizations. These security issues in the workplace can lead to theft of physical or intellectual property, harm to employees, and significant operational disruptions.

The problem is particularly acute in hybrid environments. Research shows that 74% of workplaces struggle with unauthorized visitors, and 28% of companies report security breaches due to poor visitor management, with each incident costing an average of $1.2 million.

How to respond: The most effective defense combines technology with clear protocols:

• Implement a comprehensive visitor management system that screens visitors against internal blocklists and third-party watchlists
• Deploy badge access control systems that create detailed audit trails and restrict access to sensitive areas
• Train employees to challenge unfamiliar faces and never hold doors for tailgaters
• Install surveillance systems at key entry points and regularly review footage
• Conduct regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities in physical access controls

Modern access control solutions can integrate with visitor management platforms to create comprehensive security ecosystems that adapt to your organization's unique requirements.

3. Cyberattacks and digital security risks

Cyberattacks represent one of the fastest-growing organizational threats facing businesses today. According to IBM research, the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024, a 10% increase over the previous year. Security teams take an average of 277 days to identify and contain a data breach.

These risks could include privilege abuse, mishandling data, using unapproved hardware or software, or email misuse. Phishing attacks alone account for over 80% of reported security incidents, and AI-powered attacks are making these threats increasingly difficult to detect. Cybersecurity research shows that phishing attacks have increased by over 1,000% as a result of generative AI.

How to respond: Tackling digital security risks like cyberattacks requires a multi-layered approach:

• Deploy multi-factor authentication across all systems, which prevents 99.9% of phishing attacks
• Conduct regular employee awareness training focused on recognizing phishing and social engineering attempts
• Maintain robust password policies and encourage use of password managers
• Regularly assess your systems for vulnerabilities before they become issues
• Ensure your IT team has the right tools, training, and resources to respond quickly to incidents
• Develop clear protocols for reporting suspicious emails or activities

4. Theft of physical or intellectual property

The most plain security threats may be those to a company's physical and intellectual property. This can include anything from patents and employee know-how to trade secrets, laptops, and physical documents. Sensitive information walking out the door, whether intentionally or through carelessness, can devastate competitive advantage and client trust.

The hybrid work model has made this threat more complex. With employees working across multiple locations, protecting proprietary information requires consistent policies regardless of where work happens.

How to respond: Create layered protection for valuable assets:

• Implement clear policies around handling confidential materials and sensitive information
• Use digital rights management for electronic documents and tracking systems for physical assets
• Ensure clean desk policies in shared workspaces
• Deploy physical access control systems that log who accesses restricted areas and when
• Screen visitors against watchlists and restrict their access to appropriate areas
• Conduct regular audits of who has access to what information

Gable's Visitor Management solution helps organizations control who has access to sensitive areas by enabling visitor screening, real-time host notifications, and comprehensive visitor logs for security audits.

5. Natural disaster or extreme weather

Natural disaster or extreme weather events don't spare workplaces when they strike. While these events are impossible to control or predict, you can take steps to protect employees and visitors. Duke University research suggests disease outbreaks will likely grow three-fold in the next few decades, and climate-related disruptions saw a dramatic 119% increase in 2024.

Businesses have identified climate change induced flooding, geopolitical instability, and extreme weather as among the things that could cause major disruptions in 2025. From hurricanes and earthquakes to severe winter storms and flooding, these events can force office closures, displace workers, and damage critical infrastructure.

How to respond: Establishing an emergency preparedness plan that includes an automated process for instantly notifying all impacted individuals can make all the difference when rapid response matters:

• Develop evacuation routes and shelter-in-place procedures for various scenarios
• Maintain emergency supply kits at all locations
• Create communication trees that ensure everyone is informed during a critical situation
• Establish remote work capabilities so operations can continue when the office is inaccessible
• Review your hybrid workplace strategy to ensure business continuity planning accounts for distributed teams
• Regularly drill and update plans based on lessons learned

6. IT failure of a business-critical system

Hardware and software failures, accidental damage, network issues, or other critical IT problems can cause lasting damage to your business. At the very least, they're costly, time-consuming, and difficult to fix. The failure of a business critical system can halt operations, frustrate customers, and create cascading effects across your organization.

Beyond direct costs, system failures can compromise security. When systems go down, normal access controls may be bypassed, creating opportunities for unauthorized access. An unexpected attack or emergency could seriously impact your business if backup systems aren't properly configured.

How to respond: Consider establishing a clear outage response plan and running regular drills to ensure teams know how to act:

• Maintain regular backup schedules and test restoration procedures
• Implement redundant systems for mission-critical functions
• Document dependencies between systems so you understand cascade effects
• Regularly assessing your systems for vulnerabilities is a great way to identify potential weak spots before they become issues
• Create manual fallback procedures for essential security functions
• Ensure your IT team has the tools, training, and resources to respond quickly and learn from any failures

‍

7. Supply chain disruption

Supply chain disruption has become one of the most significant business threats facing organizations. Resilinc's analysis revealed that overall disruptions to global supply chains increased 38% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Factory fires remained the top disruption for the sixth consecutive year, while labor disruptions jumped 47% year-over-year.

According to McKinsey's Global Supply Chain Leader Survey, nine in ten organizations encountered supply chain challenges in 2024. Supply chain issues aren't going away anytime soon. Climate-related events, geopolitical tensions, and labor disputes continue to threaten the flow of essential goods and services.

How to respond: Companies and their leaders need to conduct regular supply chain vulnerability assessments and establish a risk-management plan of action:

• Diversify suppliers to avoid single points of failure
• Map your supply chain beyond tier-one suppliers to understand deep dependencies
• Build inventory buffers for critical components
• Develop contingency plans for key supplier disruptions
• Monitor geopolitical and environmental risks that could affect your supply base
• Establish clear communication channels with suppliers for early warning of problems

8. Health threats and disease outbreaks

Health threats remain a constant concern for organizations, especially in shared workplace environments. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how quickly a health crisis can disrupt operations, and experts warn future outbreaks are increasingly likely. Companies must prepare for these situations by having business continuity plans and mitigation strategies in place.

For organizations managing hybrid work policies, health threats add another dimension to consider. Knowing who was in the office on specific days becomes critical for contact tracing and containment efforts.

How to respond: Build health preparedness into your workplace operations:

• Invest in tools that automate and standardize the enforcement of health protocols
• Maintain accurate visitor and employee attendance logs through digital systems
• Develop clear policies for sick leave that don't penalize employees for staying home
• Create communication plans for notifying affected individuals quickly
• Establish relationships with local health authorities for guidance during outbreaks
• Review ventilation and air quality in shared spaces

Visitor management systems prove invaluable for health safety, providing real-time data about who's onsite, when they were there, and how to contact them if exposure occurs.

9. Brand and reputation crises

Brand reputation directly ties to a company's market value. What may take years to grow can tarnish overnight. Nowadays, it can be a single social media post that takes a company down. Risks can come from any part of the business, including unethical suppliers, partners, and employees, or even competition spreading misinformation.

A security incident itself can trigger a reputation crisis. Data breaches, workplace violence incidents, or failures to protect visitor information can all make headlines and erode trust with customers, partners, and employees.

How to respond: Protecting your brand requires proactive communication and solid operations:

• Communicating to your employees the do's and don'ts, particularly on social media, can help mitigate some of these risks
• Develop crisis communication plans that include templates for various scenarios
• Monitor social media and news for emerging issues
• Build goodwill through transparent, ethical operations that can weather occasional storms
• Ensure visitor data protection aligns with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA
• Document security protocols to demonstrate due diligence if incidents occur

Utility outages

While not always categorized among the top threats, utility outages can range from hazardous at worst to inconvenient at best. In today's connected workplaces, they can disrupt communication between employees, customers, and partners. Power failures can also compromise security systems, leaving facilities vulnerable.

How to respond: With the right preparation and training, many utility outages can be prevented or their impact minimized:

• Install backup power systems for critical security infrastructure
• Document manual procedures for key security functions
• Establish clear outage response plans and run regular drills
• This reduces downtime and boosts staff confidence during disruptions
• Maintain emergency communication channels that don't rely on office infrastructure

Building a comprehensive threat prevention strategy

Prevention and mitigation planning are both important to effectively minimize disruptions from workplace threats. Organizations need to be able to identify emerging problems before they become full-blown threats. Doing so also helps minimize damage caused by a workplace threat.

Here's how to bring it all together:

1. Conduct regular risk assessments Map your specific vulnerabilities based on industry, location, workforce composition, and operational model. A healthcare organization faces different primary threats than a tech company, and your workplace strategy should reflect those differences.

2. Layer your defenses No single solution addresses all threats. Combine physical security measures, digital protections, policy frameworks, and training to create depth. When one layer fails, others provide backup.

3. Integrate your systems Disconnected security tools create gaps and inefficiencies. Modern workplace platforms like Gable integrate visitor management, access control, and space analytics to provide comprehensive visibility into who's in your facilities and when.

4. Train continuously Technology alone isn't enough. Employees need regular training on recognizing threats, following protocols, and reporting concerns. Make security everyone's responsibility.

5. Test and iterate Run drills, conduct tabletop exercises, and review incidents to find weaknesses. The best security programs treat continuous improvement as essential.

‍