Photo via Flickr/Lars Lundqvist

If you’ve ever woken up feeling a bit hazy about the details of the night before, and then gone to reach for your smartphone only to find it missing, you’re far from the only one. If the device in question was your work phone, and contained potentially sensitive corporate data, you’re also in surprisingly good company.

That’s according to a survey of 2,500 adults across the UK, which found that 27 percent of smartphone users reported having their work devices lost or stolen at some point. Of that number, 52 percent were out drinking at the time.

The point of the report, which was conducted by security firm Trend Micro alongside researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London and market research firm Vision Critical, was to highlight the threat this kind of inebriated negligence can pose to businesses. Just like your stolen iPhone could fetch a nice sum on the black market, so could the confidential corporate data it contains. However, the researchers found that most respondents were more concerned about losing their personal photos and banking details (the latter of which seems fair enough) than having business data stolen. “In fact, a mere three per cent of respondents were concerned about the theft of corporate data,” they wrote.

The researchers put this down to a “culture of carelessness,” and a general ignorance regarding the reputational and financial risks posed to businesses if sensitive data gets in the wrong hands. As they observed, “Respondents seem to take better care of their own belongings, with only 11 per cent of those surveyed losing their personal smartphone device while over a quarter (27 per cent) have had up to three work devices lost or stolen.” Priorities, people.

It’s of course worth noting that the survey was led by a security software firm—who obviously have an interest in getting people to care more about securing their devices. That said, the results suggest they’ve got a point. 

The fact is that corporate data is a valuable commodity—and leaking that data, however unintentionally, can have repercussions for a firm. Aside from making them look bad, it could cost them in fines. As Vinod Bange, a partner at an international law firm, explained, “There are a number of UK and European laws that govern corporate liability for data breaches and fines for leaked customer data can be as high as £500,000.” 

And while there’s little you can do beyond the obvious to prevent thieves nabbing your phone if they’re so inclined—except, presumably, cutting down on the after-work cocktails—the report also found that people were generally useless at protecting their smartphone data. A rather poor 63 percent said they didn’t even use a password on their device, while a majority also admitted to using the same passwords across logins (surprise, surprise). Over half were unsure what to do if they lost a phone containing work data. Correct answer: report it to your workplace.

The report might be stating the obvious, but it shouldn’t have to. Smartphones have been around long enough that we should all be aware of basic security—and setting a password and knowing to report when data’s been lost really is basic. Bonus points if you choose a code other than 1-2-3-4.