Phishing remains one of the most common and damaging cyber threats for small and medium-sized businesses in Canada and the USA. Attackers use fake emails to trick employees into clicking on malicious links or giving up sensitive information. Even the best security tools cannot stop every phishing attempt. This is why employee training is one of the most effective defences against phishing.
This article explains how to train employees to recognize phishing emails, reduce risk, and protect your organization.
A single click on a phishing email can expose customer data, lead to financial fraud, or bring down entire systems. According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report, 36% of breaches in 2023 involved phishing. Training equips employees with the knowledge to pause, question, and act wisely when they encounter suspicious emails.
Employees should learn how to spot common signs of phishing. These include:
Unfamiliar senders or email addresses that do not match the company name
Urgent language such as “Immediate action required” or “Your account will be closed”
Misspelled words or poor grammar
Suspicious links that do not match the displayed text
Unexpected attachments
Encourage employees to slow down and look for these red flags before clicking.
Showing real phishing emails is more effective than simply describing them. Collect anonymized phishing attempts that your business or industry has received. Use them as case studies in training sessions.
For example, a Canadian small business faced repeated phishing attempts disguised as “invoice payment reminders.” Attackers used lookalike domains and urgent payment language. After training staff to verify sender addresses and confirm invoices through internal systems, the company cut phishing click rates by over 80%.
Simulated phishing campaigns are one of the most powerful training tools. These mock attacks test employees in real time without exposing your systems to risk.
Benefits of simulations:
Show employees how easy it is to fall for phishing
Reinforce training with practical experience
Provide managers with data to identify who needs extra support
Start small and increase the complexity of simulations over time.
Employees should feel safe reporting suspicious emails, even if they clicked on one by mistake. Fear of punishment can lead to silence, which increases risk.
Create an easy reporting process, such as a “Report Phish” button in email software. Thank employees for reporting and use incidents as learning opportunities, not reasons for discipline.
Cyber threats evolve constantly. A one-time training session is not enough. Provide regular updates and refresher courses to keep phishing awareness top of mind.
Consider:
Quarterly phishing training workshops
Short email reminders with new phishing examples
Sharing industry news about recent phishing attacks
This keeps employees engaged and reinforces the importance of vigilance.
Training works best when paired with technology. Tools like advanced email filters, multi-factor authentication, and endpoint detection reduce the impact of human error. Employees should know that technology is there to support them, not replace their judgment.
Phishing emails will continue to target businesses, but your employees can be your strongest defence. By teaching red flags, using real examples, running simulations, and promoting a culture of reporting, you build a team that knows how to recognize and stop phishing attempts.
Training is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that strengthens your company’s cyber resilience and protects customer trust.
Schedule a consultation with one of Contego's cybersecurity experts today.