The holidays have a way of changing how businesses operate.
Employees are trying to finish projects before taking time off. Managers are juggling vacation schedules. Vendors are working shorter weeks. Some employees are traveling, while others are covering responsibilities that don't normally fall on their desks.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, the usual cybersecurity routines can start to slip.
Not because employees have stopped caring about security.
They're simply working under different circumstances.
An unusual request might not seem so unusual when half the office is out. An urgent payment might seem perfectly reasonable when someone says it needs to be processed before the holiday break. And an employee working from a hotel might make a technology decision they wouldn't normally make at the office.
That's why the holiday season is a good time for a cybersecurity refresher.
Not another hour-long presentation about everything that could go wrong.
Just a practical conversation about how your team can maintain good security habits when the workday looks a little different.
Here are five reminders worth sharing before everyone heads into the holiday rush.
1. Slow Down When Someone Wants You to Hurry
Urgency is one of the oldest tricks in the cybersecurity playbook.
And during the holidays, it's especially easy for an urgent request to blend into the normal workday.
Imagine an employee receives an email that appears to come from a manager.
"Can you take care of this before you leave today? I'll be out until next week."
Or someone in accounting receives a message from a vendor saying an invoice must be paid immediately to avoid a delay.
Neither request sounds particularly unusual in December.
That's what makes these situations worth discussing.
Cybercriminals frequently use urgency to encourage people to act before they have time to question a request. When employees are already trying to wrap up their work before taking time off, that pressure can be even more effective.
The solution isn't to tell employees to ignore urgent requests.
It's to remind them that urgency doesn't eliminate the need for verification.
A legitimate request should still follow the company's established procedures, even when someone says they're in a hurry.
If an employee receives an unexpected request involving money, confidential information, or account access, taking a moment to verify it through a trusted communication channel is a reasonable business practice.
The more pressure someone applies to skip the normal process, the more important that process becomes.
2. Verify the "Quick Favor" Before Saying Yes
Most employees want to be helpful.
When a coworker needs assistance or a client has a last-minute request, the natural response is to take care of it.
That willingness to help is valuable.
But it can also create opportunities for social engineering.
Consider a law firm where an employee receives a message that appears to come from a partner requesting a confidential document before leaving for vacation.
Or a financial firm where someone claiming to be a familiar client asks for an urgent change to account information.
A healthcare practice might receive a request that appears to come from a vendor asking for access to a system while the usual contact person is out of the office.
In each situation, the request might sound reasonable.
The important question is whether it has been verified.
Employees should understand that requests involving sensitive information, financial transactions, account changes, or system access require appropriate confirmation.
That might mean calling a known phone number, contacting the person through an established communication channel, or following an internal approval process.
It should not mean replying to an unfamiliar number or using contact information supplied in a suspicious message as the only verification method.
This is particularly important when employees are covering for coworkers who are away.
Someone handling unfamiliar responsibilities may not know what's normal for a particular client, vendor, or department.
That's why clear procedures matter.
Employees shouldn't have to guess whether a request is legitimate simply because the person who usually handles it is on vacation.
3. Keep Security in Mind When Working Away From the Office
Holiday travel doesn't always mean employees are completely disconnected from work.
Someone may check email while waiting for a flight. A manager might review documents from a hotel. Another employee may need to approve something while visiting family.
Remote work can be convenient, but it also introduces situations that deserve a little extra attention.
Public Wi-Fi networks, shared computers, personal devices, and unfamiliar applications can create unnecessary risks when employees aren't following company policies.
For example, an employee might decide to use a personal laptop because it's easier to travel with than their work computer.
Someone else might upload a business document to an unapproved file-sharing service because they can't access the usual system.
Another employee might use a public computer to log into a business account without considering what information could remain accessible afterward.
None of these decisions necessarily comes from carelessness.
Often, employees are simply trying to get something done.
That's why businesses need practical remote-work policies that employees understand before they travel.
Your team should know which devices are approved for business use, how to connect securely, which applications they can use, and what information should never be accessed or stored on personal or shared devices.
Multi-factor authentication, approved remote-access tools, and properly managed business devices can all play important roles.
But technology alone isn't enough if employees don't know the expectations.
A short reminder before the holidays can help everyone work more confidently without creating unnecessary security concerns.
4. Be Careful With Holiday Emails, Shipping Notices, and Promotions
Think about how many emails arrive during the holiday season.
Shipping confirmations. Order updates. Travel itineraries. Delivery notifications. Promotional offers. Payment reminders. End-of-year account notices.
Most of us receive enough legitimate messages like these that another one barely stands out.
Cybercriminals know that.
A phishing email disguised as a delivery notification may look completely ordinary when someone is expecting several packages.
A fake purchase confirmation may seem believable when an employee has been shopping online.
A message about an expiring account or urgent payment may blend into the year-end administrative workload.
And because AI tools can help scammers create polished, convincing messages, employees shouldn't rely exclusively on spelling mistakes or awkward wording to identify suspicious emails.
Instead, encourage employees to pay attention to the request itself.
Does the message ask them to enter a password?
Is it directing them to an unfamiliar website?
Does it claim there's an unexpected problem with an account?
Is it asking them to download a file or provide information they wouldn't normally share?
When in doubt, employees can often verify the information by going directly to the company's familiar website or application rather than following a link in the email.
That simple habit can help reduce unnecessary exposure to phishing attempts.
The objective isn't to make everyone suspicious of every holiday message.
It's to build the habit of checking before clicking when something seems unusual.
5. Make Sure Employees Know Who to Contact When Something Seems Wrong
This may be the most important holiday cybersecurity reminder of all.
What should an employee do when something doesn't look right?
Who should they contact if they receive a suspicious email?
What happens if they accidentally click a questionable link?
Who handles a security concern when the usual IT contact is on vacation?
And what should employees do if they notice something unusual outside normal business hours?
These questions shouldn't be answered for the first time during an incident.
The holidays often create temporary changes in staffing and availability. The person who normally handles a particular issue may be out of the office, and employees may not know who is covering that responsibility.
That's why a clear reporting process matters.
Employees should know how to contact the appropriate person or IT support team, what information to provide, and what to do if they think they've made a mistake.
Just as importantly, they should feel comfortable reporting a concern quickly.
An employee who clicks a suspicious link shouldn't spend the next hour wondering whether they'll get in trouble for mentioning it.
They should know that reporting the situation promptly gives the business a better opportunity to respond.
A healthy cybersecurity culture makes it easy for employees to ask questions and raise concerns.
Especially during the holidays, when routines are less predictable.
Holiday Cybersecurity Doesn't Require Another Hour-Long Training Session
There's a good chance your employees already have plenty on their plates.
They're finishing projects, coordinating schedules, preparing for time off, and trying to make sure important work doesn't get overlooked.
Pulling everyone away for another lengthy cybersecurity presentation may not be the most effective approach.
Instead, consider a brief reminder during a team meeting or a short email from leadership.
Focus on situations employees are likely to encounter over the holidays.
Remind them to verify unusual requests, follow established approval procedures, use approved devices and applications when working remotely, and report suspicious activity promptly.
Make sure everyone knows who to contact when their normal manager or IT representative is unavailable.
And don't forget to review those same expectations with anyone covering additional responsibilities while coworkers are away.
The message doesn't need to be complicated.
Good cybersecurity habits should be practical enough to follow even when the office is busy, schedules are unusual, and employees are thinking about getting home for the holidays.
Your IT Provider Should Help You Prepare for Holiday Schedule Changes
A proactive managed IT provider should help your business prepare for the operational changes that come with the holiday season.
That means looking beyond security software and considering how employees will actually be working.
Are remote-access tools configured appropriately?
Do employees know which devices and applications they're allowed to use?
Are important accounts protected with multi-factor authentication?
Is there a clear process for reporting suspicious activity?
Will employees know how to reach IT support when the office is operating with reduced staffing?
And are the right people available to respond if something needs attention?
For healthcare practices, law firms, financial firms, and other professional organizations in Carmel and throughout the Greater Indianapolis Area, these conversations can help maintain dependable operations while employees take well-deserved time away.
The goal isn't to interrupt the holidays with another list of things to worry about.
It's to make sure the business has sensible safeguards and clear expectations in place before schedules become unpredictable.
Keep Your Cybersecurity Habits Working Through the Holidays
The holidays don't automatically make employees less security-conscious.
They simply create different circumstances.
People are busier. Familiar coworkers are away. Requests may arrive through unusual channels. Employees may be working from different locations.
A good cybersecurity strategy accounts for those changes.
When employees know how to verify sensitive requests, work securely while traveling, recognize suspicious messages, and report concerns, they're better equipped to make good decisions throughout the season.
And when leadership and IT have established clear procedures, employees don't have to figure everything out on their own.
That's what effective cybersecurity should look like.
Not a collection of complicated rules that everyone forgets when things get busy.
Practical habits that continue working even when the usual routine changes.
Is Your Business Ready for the Holiday Season?
If your team is preparing for holiday travel, reduced staffing, or changes in how employees will be working, now is a good time to review your cybersecurity practices.
Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call with our team, and we'll discuss your current remote-access setup, device policies, security procedures, and how employees can get help when something doesn't look right.
No pressure. No scare tactics. And no unnecessary technical jargon.
Just a practical conversation about helping your business stay secure and productive through the holiday season.
Call us at 317-219-0408 or visit https://www.mypropellerheads.com/discoverycall/ to schedule your free 15-minute discovery call.
