If you want an honest answer to “Where do most security problems start?”, it’s not usually some mysterious zero-day exploit. It’s an email. An invoice that looks normal. A “quick approval” request that hits at 4:58 pm. A shared document link that feels routine. People don’t click because they’re careless. They click because they’re working.
That’s why cybersecurity training for employees matters. Not because everyone needs to understand malware families or encryption standards, but because your inbox is where pressure tactics and impersonation scams live. A good program doesn’t just tell people to be careful. It teaches them what to watch for, what “normal” looks like in your company, and what to do the moment something feels even slightly off.
In this piece, we’ll cover how to build security awareness in the workplace and how to turn that into security awareness training videos people will actually sit through.
How to Raise Cybersecurity Awareness Among Your Employees
Treat The Inbox As Your “Main Risk Surface”
Companies deal with lots of threats, but email is where most employees meet attackers directly. That makes it your most important training topic. When you frame awareness around real inbox situations (unexpected attachments, “re-login” prompts, payment changes, vendor requests, shared-document links) employees can connect the lesson to their actual work.
A useful way to set the tone is to openly say: “Most scams we see are designed to look routine.” That small shift helps people understand why smart, capable coworkers still get caught.
Build Repeatable Email Rules That Fit Your Workflow
People remember rules that match how work is done. Keep your email safety rules short, specific, and tied to process, not personality. For example: requests to change bank details are always verified through a second channel; no one ever asks for passwords by email; urgent payment approvals must follow the same steps as non-urgent ones. These aren’t dramatic cybersecurity slogans. They’re workflow guardrails.
Once you set those norms, reinforce them regularly. A simple internal page that lists your email red flags and your company’s verification steps can prevent a lot of improvisation in the moment.
Teach Employees What Modern Email Attacks Actually Look Like
A lot of training still focuses on outdated “bad grammar” examples. Today’s phishing emails often look polished, and they frequently lean on pressure rather than obvious mistakes. Make sure your training covers the common patterns employees will see.
Impersonation is a big one: a message that looks like it’s from the CEO, a manager, HR, a vendor, or a known partner usually asking for something that bypasses normal checks. Another common pattern is the “shared document” trap: a link that looks like a file request but leads to a fake login page. And then there’s business email compromise behavior that happens after an account is stolen, like hidden forwarding rules, strange reply-to addresses, or suspicious “we already discussed this” threads that try to keep the conversation moving.
This is where training employees on cybersecurity becomes practical: you’re not teaching theory, you’re teaching recognition.
Run Phishing Practice Without Creating A Blame Culture
Simulated phishing can be useful, but only if it’s run like coaching. If the outcome is embarrassment, people learn one thing: stay quiet next time. That’s the opposite of what you want.
Treat simulations as practice reps. If someone clicks, the follow-up should be quick and concrete: what the red flags were, what the correct next step is, and how to report. If someone reports correctly, acknowledge it. You’re building a habit: pause, verify, report. The fastest win you can get from cybersecurity awareness training is earlier reporting.
Make Reporting Easy Enough To Use On A Busy Day
If employees have to hunt for the right form or guess who to message, you’ll lose time. And time matters with email attacks. Give staff one obvious reporting path and repeat it often: a dedicated inbox, a Teams/Slack channel, or a helpdesk category named in plain language.
Also clarify what “report” means. People often forward suspicious emails to coworkers as a warning, which can spread the problem. Teach them to report to the right place and avoid interacting with the email beyond what’s necessary.
How to Create Security Awareness Videos
Pick One Email Scenario Per Video
The fastest way to lose attention is to make one long video that tries to cover everything. A better approach is a short series where each video solves one problem. Keep topics tightly email-focused, such as: spotting impersonation requests, checking links safely, handling unexpected attachments, verifying invoice or payment changes, and recognizing fake login pages.
This format also makes your training easier to update. If a new scam wave shows up, you can replace one video instead of redoing an entire master class.
Write Scripts That Sound Like Internal Guidance, Not A Policy Document
The script should sound like a helpful coworker explaining how to avoid a mistake.
Aim for direct language: “If the email asks for money, passwords, or a process shortcut, stop and verify.” That’s clearer than “exercise vigilance.” It’s also more usable in the moment, which is when it matters.
Show The Inbox Whenever Possible
For email security training, screen recordings are your best friend. You can walk through a realistic message and point out what employees should check: sender address, display name tricks, reply-to fields, unexpected urgency, link destinations, and mismatched tone. Then show the correct response: how to report it, how to verify via a known phone number or internal chat, and how to avoid replying directly to the suspicious thread.
If you can’t use real screenshots, recreate examples that match your environment. The point is familiarity.
Keep Production Simple
You need clean audio and a steady pace, not over-the-top editing. Record in a quiet room, use a decent mic if possible, and keep on-screen text readable. Then trim aggressively. A basic video cutter for PC is enough to remove dead space, repeated takes, and rambling sections so the video stays tight.
If you want a consistent look, add a simple opening slide and a closing slide. Don’t overbrand it. Make it feel like training built for your team, not a commercial.
End With A “Do This Next” Step
Each video should end with a clear action employees can follow immediately: “Verify payment changes through a second channel,” “Use the reporting method shown,” or “Don’t enter credentials from an email link; navigate to the site yourself.” That kind of close helps turn awareness into behavior.
This is what makes security awareness training videos worth the effort: employees finish the video knowing exactly what to do differently.
Distribute Videos In Ways That Match How People Work
Don’t hide the videos inside a training portal that employees only open once a year. Put them where people actually pay attention. Include the core set in onboarding. Share one short video monthly in your internal comms. Ask team leads to play a 3-minute clip before a meeting and spend five minutes discussing it. If your company sees a phishing wave, send the one relevant video with a short note about what you’re seeing and what to do.
Final Thoughts
Most organizations don’t lose data because employees don’t care about security. They lose data because email is fast, work is busy, and scams are designed to blend into normal conversations. An email-first training program fixes that by teaching employees exactly where to slow down and how to respond.
Over time, training employees on cybersecurity becomes less of an event and more of a routine, like checking the sender before you click. That’s the outcome you want: fewer successful email attacks, quicker reporting, and a culture where “let me verify that” is just part of doing business.
