Many organisations will be putting data at risk as they take on temporary staff over Christmas and give them free access to IT systems.

More than 80 per cent of temps have the same level of access to documents from the company network drive as their permanent colleagues, but without the same accountability, according to a survey by security supplier Websense published today.

More than half (52 per cent) of respondents admitted using a co-worker’s email account and 81 per cent have unlimited access to the internet from their work PC.

The risk will grow over the Christmas period as the UK’s 770,000 temporary workforce grows to nearly 900,000. Only 21 per cent of are asked to sign any type of PC or web use policy.