Business

Employee Appreciation Starts From Day One — How Cyberbacker Makes New Hire Onboarding Engaging

Published

3 years ago

March 10, 2023

The workplace has changed. With phenomena such as “quiet quitting” and “The Great Resignation” still shaping the modern working world and haunting CEOs, business leaders have made strides to appreciate their workforce better and improve retention.

Many businesses have prioritized employee appreciation initiatives from day one of their time with the company, integrating those initiatives into the onboarding process. According to experts, companies that employ a strategic approach towards experience and appreciation can expect up to 71% higher engagement from those employees.

“Being appreciated by your peers and your boss goes further than anyone could imagine,” says Harmony Nordgren, VP of US Operations at Cyberbacker, a company that supplies highly skilled virtual assistants. “Nobody wants to go to a job for 40 or more hours each week and not feel valued and appreciated.”

With appreciation making a noticeable difference in job satisfaction among staff and retention, Cyberbacker has put much thought and effort into its appreciation initiatives — all of which begin with the onboarding process.

From the word “hired”

From the first day that a new hire begins their position, it’s essential to let the company’s culture be known and felt. Appreciation and gratitude are part of a larger overall culture that makes up the backbone of the business’ approach to engagement.

Cyberbacker takes its role in training and onboarding new hires seriously, though they also like to inject a little fun into the process. This speaks to what it’s like to work at the company, and what new hires can expect going forward.

“We have a lot of fun with onboarding,” explains Nordgren. “It’s a long process, so we include interactive activities like ‘Embarrass the CEO’ where new team members can ask our CEO an embarrassing question.”

However, shaping their experience goes beyond having a little fun at the CEO’s expense. It needs to include deeper themes such as diversity and inclusion initiatives, technology and skill training, and the work/life balance that is at the top of most people’s wish lists.

Tokens of appreciation

To show its workforce how much they appreciate them, Cyberbacker focuses on several key areas of their talent pool’s life: wellness, team building, rest, and pay among them. “We offer HMO, we have a profit share program, paid time off, and we have a discounted loan program where we profit share the interest,” explains Nordgren. “We also do contests all the time to earn Cyberbacker merchandise, new tech, and cash rewards.”

The company also finds it imperative to work from a place of understanding that people do not quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. Cyberbacker’s leadership teams value a culture of appreciation as a cornerstone of their company, and it is a company-wide effort to keep that value sacred.

Employee appreciation goes beyond the basic elements. It is important to remember that their perspective is most important, not the CEO’s or the rest of the leadership team’s. The managers may believe a monthly pizza party is all that is needed to show their team that they care, but if they are never given paid time off or an opportunity to improve their skill sets, pizza just doesn’t cut it.

In today’s post-pandemic workplace, expectations may differ wildly from those even a few years ago. The balance of power has shifted in many ways, and what the new generation of workers want is to feel welcomed and appreciated at their place of work. This is an important factor in whether they decide to stay with that company — or move on. The days of employers simply counting ‘having a job’ as appreciation are over.

“With seemingly every company hiring everywhere they do business, you don’t want to lose an invaluable team member because you didn’t take the few extra minutes to ensure they felt appreciated,” says Nordgren, stressing a point that many businesses realize too late: currently, the market favors the talent out there. Jobs are plentiful, and many businesses — like Cyberbacker — are placing appreciation, experience and wellness as a top priority. This is leading to them attracting and retaining top talent.

Nordgren and other leaders at organizations are paving the way and showing that prioritizing the experience people have at work, only strengthens businesses. Employee experience and appreciation is not just a series of trending talking points but a new way of approaching business.

People expect to be acknowledged and appreciated for their talents and hard work. But it will be up to forward-thinking companies to step up to the plate and devise innovative and effective ways to show them that they matter.

Business

TrueData Solutions LLC Founder Del Andujar Responds to Europe’s Growing Digital Privacy Concerns

Published

2 days ago

May 22, 2026

Matthew Wiles

For years, internet privacy discussions centered around targeted advertising, browser tracking, and social media data collection. But a new debate is beginning to reshape the cybersecurity industry entirely: identity verification laws.

Across Europe, governments and digital platforms are increasingly introducing systems that require users to verify their identity or age before accessing certain online services. Supporters argue these systems improve online safety and accountability. Critics argue they may also normalize a future where anonymity online becomes increasingly difficult.

That tension is now creating new opportunities — and new responsibilities — for cybersecurity and privacy companies worldwide.

Among the firms responding to this shift is TrueData Solutions LLC, a Wyoming-based cybersecurity company founded in 2025 by Del Andujar. The company recently announced plans to expand infrastructure and operations into Europe as digital privacy concerns continue growing throughout the region.

The expansion arrives during a particularly sensitive moment in global technology policy.

Recent discussions surrounding European age verification systems have raised broader questions about how personal identification data will be stored, protected, and potentially shared. Privacy advocates have warned that even well-intentioned verification systems can create centralized repositories of sensitive personal information that may become vulnerable to misuse or breaches.

According to reporting from Tech Policy Press, experts have increasingly expressed concern that identity verification requirements may carry privacy implications extending beyond basic data confidentiality.

For privacy-focused companies, the issue reflects a major transformation in how consumers view digital safety.

Historically, many users treated online privacy as secondary to convenience. But growing awareness around data breaches, identity theft, and public data exposure has changed public perception significantly over the last decade.

TrueData’s business model directly addresses those concerns.

The company allows individuals to search for publicly leaked information connected to themselves and assists users in opting out from data broker platforms that collect and distribute personal details online. Unlike many competitors within the cybersecurity industry, TrueData offers its primary opt-out assistance services free of charge.

That approach has become central to the company’s identity.

While many privacy services operate behind subscription paywalls, TrueData positions accessibility as part of its broader mission to help individuals regain control over their digital footprint regardless of financial barriers.

The company also provides secondary cybersecurity services such as virtual private networks designed to improve browsing security and network privacy.

As Europe continues debating digital identity enforcement policies, cybersecurity providers may increasingly become intermediaries between governments, platforms, and consumers attempting to protect their information online.

Industry observers believe the broader privacy economy could expand dramatically over the next several years as identity-linked internet systems become more common globally.

In that environment, companies focused on transparency and user trust may gain a competitive advantage over firms relying heavily on aggressive monetization strategies or opaque data practices.

For founder Del Andujar, the issue extends beyond cybersecurity trends alone. It reflects a deeper concern about whether ordinary internet users will retain meaningful control over how their information is collected, indexed, and distributed online.

As digital identity increasingly becomes tied to daily internet access, that question may soon affect nearly every user online — not just cybersecurity professionals.