HR departments may want to look at ways of encouraging employee loyalty as a new survey has revealed that over a third of workers would be willing to sell company confidential information if the price was right.

That is according to a study conducted by IT security event organisers, Infosecurity Europe.

Some 600 London commuters were questioned for the survey, 63 per cent of whom said they would leak sensitive data for £1 million.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Tamar Beckm, group events director at Infosecurity Europe, said: "It’s quite staggering that a third of people are open to bribery, although it’s encouraging that 63 per cent of workers are honest and wouldn’t give anything away not even for a million pounds!"

She warned, however, that criminals are capable of seeking out "vulnerable workers" who may be open to stealing from their employers and therefore she said it was important for companies to train their employees to protect sensitive information.

Infosecurity Europe recently warned employers that staff who have been made redundant may pose a security risk to companies if they are not treated appropriately.