Every organization knows those weeks when everything happens at once: exam periods, peak projects, audits, year-end closing, or simply the run-up to a holiday. During those periods, security awareness inevitably moves to the background. Not because it isn’t important, but because it doesn’t feel urgent.
“Awareness doesn’t collapse because people are busy, but because plans pretend that busy periods don’t exist.”
Employees are fully occupied with deadlines, responsibilities, and day-to-day pressure. Awareness becomes a task that can “wait for a moment.” And if nobody explicitly states that it still matters, the topic simply disappears from people’s minds. Not due to resistance, but due to overload. In busy periods you see it clearly: when the rhythm breaks, attention breaks. And when rhythm is missing, awareness evaporates faster than we think.
The real issue isn’t busyness—it’s the lack of expectations
Many organizations assume employees will “just make time” for awareness. But that’s not how it works. Awareness isn’t a one-off activity—it’s a behavioral line. And behavior needs predictability: clarity on what is expected, when, and why. Without those boundaries, uncertainty grows. Do I still need to do something this month? Should teams make time for it? Is it okay to skip once? Employees answer those questions themselves—and the short term naturally wins over the long term.
This is exactly where campaigns get stuck: not because the content is bad, but because prioritization is missing. Awareness needs a rhythm that fits the organization. You can’t plan a campaign as if every week is a quiet week. A good plan accounts for exam weeks, projects, holidays, and peak workload. It is realistic, not theoretical. Once employees understand when awareness can be lighter and when it still must happen, pressure drops. Behavior becomes less driven by busyness and more guided by clear agreements.
Keep awareness running—even when everyone is busy
The solution is surprisingly simple: don’t do more—plan smarter. An awareness program that works during busy periods is built on three pillars: realistic planning, prioritization, and shared behavioral expectations. When employees know that February and June are lighter months, while March and November are heavier, you can adjust the rhythm accordingly. Short, lightweight interventions during peak pressure. Smaller assignments. Sometimes even just a one-minute video. Not everything needs to be “full” to be effective; consistency is far more powerful than volume.
It also helps enormously when leaders explicitly say it’s okay to pick awareness up a week later—as long as it still happens. That removes tension and ultimately increases participation. People do more when they don’t feel like they’re failing. And perhaps most importantly: a campaign that respects people’s real agendas feels human. Employees recognize themselves in it. They feel taken seriously. And that is exactly why awareness can continue—even in weeks when everyone is too busy to absorb anything new.