Berlin – October 28, 2026 -- Almost one in three full-time employees in Germany (32%) can still reach digital resources of a former employer after leaving, and 54% of that group keep using them, according to a new survey by HR platform provider Deel and research firm Censuswide.

The poll covered 2,000 full-time desk-based workers in Germany and was released for Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October. Accessible resources include old business email inboxes, cloud storage, project management platforms and other digital tools. Only 49% of respondents say their access was fully deactivated.

Offboarding gaps leave companies unable to verify who accesses their data

Maximilian Lux, Country Lead DACH at Deel, said a last working day is not a digital cut-off point. He described the pattern as a major data protection leak, because companies can no longer reliably trace who accesses their resources or whether that access is still legitimate. He argued that offboarding should be treated like the return of a laptop and keys, not as an administrative to-do item.

Forty percent use employer-issued devices privately

The survey also shows a loose separation between professional and private use. Some 40% of respondents have used a work device from a current or former employer for private purposes. Another 32% use business logins or accounts for personal matters, such as sending a private message from a company mailbox or storing personal files in corporate cloud storage.

Convenience drives part of this behavior: 31% say access through work is more practical or faster than the private alternative.

One in five lets people from their private circle use work access

Employer resources also move beyond the individual employee. Some 27% of respondents use employer devices or access for a side activity or their own project. A further 21% have let people from their private environment use work devices, equipment or access.

Lux said that in such cases it is unclear who is responsible for access and whether internal information stays in the intended hands. He said companies do not need to abolish flexibility to maintain security. In his view, they need clear rules, personal access credentials and IT processes that prevent indiscriminate use of access rights.

Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and operates under its code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. The survey sample was limited to workers whose jobs are predominantly computer-based, whether in the office, mobile or remote.