The most satisfied cybersecurity professionals are those who choose where to work. The least satisfied are those being forced back into the office, according to a new (ISC)² member poll.

(ISC)² collected responses from 416 cybersecurity professionals around the world in June 2022 to examine how organizations are changing remote work policies in 2022 and what it means for worker satisfaction.

Key findings include:

• 57% of respondents who in the past were in the office some or all of the time said their job satisfaction increased when offered the option of working remotely. 
• Also experiencing a boost in satisfaction were 45% of respondents who had spent most or all their time in the office but are now required to work remotely. 
• 47% of participants who formerly worked remotely and are now required to be in the office full-time said that this change has decreased their job satisfaction.
• The number of cybersecurity professionals responding to the poll who work completely remote decreased from 44% in 2021 to 33% in 2022, with 58% reporting that their employer changed remote work policies this year.

What has changed?

• 29% of participants reported that they were mostly or fully remote and are now required to be in the office full or part-time.
• Of those whose employers have moved to in-office requirements, 24% are now required to be in the office part-time, and 5% are required to be in the office full-time.
• 20% said they had been mostly or fully in-office and can now work remotely by choice or requirement. 
• Of those whose employers moved from the office to remote, 17% can work remotely if they choose, while 3% are required to work remotely.
• 39% said their employer has not changed any remote work policies in the past year.

Cybersecurity Professionals Want Choice

Cybersecurity leaders considering recalling teams to the office need to take note:

• 18% of poll respondents said they would look for a new job if they were directed to return to work mostly or fully in the office and 33% were unsure.
• About half (49%) said a change in remote work policy would not drive them to seek a new job.

The poll suggests that the risk of losing cybersecurity professionals due to changing remote work policies shouldn’t be ignored. Intentions to change jobs become even clearer for professionals who are experiencing these remote work policy changes. 

Those who had been working remotely and are now required to be in an office part-time have the highest intentions of seeking a new job (26%), followed by those who were remote and are now required to be in an office full-time (21%).

For more findings, visit (ISC)².