When Security Becomes a Barrier to Productivity

Workplace Security: A Necessity Turned Constraint?

Over the past few decades, workplace security has become a major strategic issue. Whether it’s IT, physical, or organizational security, growing threats—cyberattacks, data breaches, theft, intrusions, internal fraud—have pushed companies to build ever-stronger defenses around their operations. However, in the quest to lock everything down, some companies have ended up turning security into a rigid framework that directly impacts workflow, employee motivation, and ultimately, overall organizational performance.

Pervasive Security That Slows Down Action

Many companies have implemented highly sophisticated security systems: multi-factor authentication, restricted access, strict data-handling rules, layered control and validation procedures, and more. While these measures aim to prevent critical incidents, they also have a side effect: making work more burdensome.

Employees can find themselves trapped in a procedural maze where every action requires multiple layers of approval, every mistake could result in punishment, and autonomy is all but eliminated. This can significantly slow down responsiveness, discourage initiative, and lead to psychological fatigue. In short, excessive security can harm productivity and agility—two elements essential for competitiveness.

Concrete Examples:

• In some banks, sending a simple file to an external partner can require up to four levels of managerial and technical validation.
• In the industrial sector, gaining access to machines or software can be so restrictive that technicians spend more time logging in than actually doing the job.
• In IT companies, developers may wait days to get access to a test environment, hindering agile development.

Security vs. Efficiency: A False Dilemma?

We need to move beyond the mindset that security and efficiency are mutually exclusive. The real question isn’t “should we choose between security and flow?” but rather “how can we design security that supports work instead of constraining it?”

This means rethinking security like a product, with a true user experience (UX). Just like a well-designed app should be intuitive, a security policy should be clear, proportionate, and adapted to real-world needs.

Rethinking Security with a UX Approach

• Involve users from the start: Too often, security systems are designed by experts who aren’t in touch with actual day-to-day workflows. That needs to change—operational teams should be involved in shaping rules and tools.
• Adopt 'secure by design'—but without rigidity: Rather than layering security on afterward, build it into processes from the ground up. For instance, a secure but user-friendly collaboration tool is far more effective than banning all external tools.
• Tailor security levels to user roles: Why impose the same constraints on an intern as on a director? Fine-grained access control allows better alignment with actual risk levels.
• Educate through guidance, not fear: A strong security culture isn’t built through endless reminders and penalties, but through progressive onboarding, concrete examples, and a logic of accountability.
• Track the impact of security policies: It would be useful to create metrics on how security procedures affect working time, employee satisfaction, and project flow—and adjust the system accordingly.

Toward Agile, Human-Centered Security

Companies can look to sectors that have successfully combined security and efficiency. In aerospace, for example, safety is critical but is built around continuous improvement, ergonomic procedures, and adaptability to real-world contexts. Similarly, some cybersecurity startups are now developing protection tools that are seamlessly integrated into workflows (e.g., automated threat detection that doesn’t slow systems down).

Conclusion: Security, Yes—But Not at Any Cost

Workplace security shouldn’t become a blind dogma, but should remain a tool that serves business activities. It must protect without hindering, reassure without infantilizing, and enable employees to work with confidence and efficiency. This requires a shift in mindset: thinking of security not as a wall, but as a journey—with checkpoints, yes, but also fast lanes when possible.

In short, security should be designed like a product—where user experience matters just as much as robustness. Only then can we truly balance protection with performance.