Is the workplace a warm, welcoming environment where peace and security reign? Or is it, in fact, an accident or a disaster waiting to happen, with villains lurking around every corner and no one in charge when something goes wrong?

A CareerBuilder poll, conducted by Harris Poll, says yes to both.

Most workers polled say they felt safe and secure at work, but when pressed about the details of that safety and security, they revealed dark thoughts and fears that lingered just below the surface.

With results from more than 3,000 respondents, CareerBuilder said its main takeaway was that workers may enjoy a false sense of security when on the job.

“The vast majority of workers (93 percent) feel their office is a secure place to work,” the survey reports. “But is this sense of security misguided? Fewer than half of workers (37 percent) say they have a security guard at their workplace, and 1 in 5 (22 percent) are unsure how they would protect themselves in the case of an emergency in their office that posed a physical threat.”

Fears bubbled up when the pollsters posed specific queries about workplace security. Among the findings:

17 percent do not feel their workplaces are well-protected in case of a fire, flood, or other disaster;
22 percent don't believe their companies have emergency plans in place should such events occur;
19 percent do not feel their workplaces are well-protected from weather-related threats;
26 percent do not think their companies have an emergency plan in place if they were ever faced with extremely severe weather;
31 percent do not feel their workplace is well-protected from a physical threat from another person;
41 percent do not believe their company has an emergency plan in place in event of a physical attack from another person;
31 percent do not feel their workplaces are well-protected from a digital hacking threat;
39 percent do not feel their companies have an emergency plan in place in the event of a technology security breach.

"As an employer, you have an obligation to protect your employees by every means possible, and having an emergency plan in place to deal with unforeseen events is part of that," says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "However, an emergency plan is only as good as how well it is communicated. It is crucial that employees not only know about this plan, but have easy access to it and participate in regular drills so they know how to protect themselves and others."

Instant Insights /

Employees feel false sense of security in the office

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