How do companies train employees against phishing?

Most data breaches start with a single employee clicking a link they shouldn't have. Technical controls help, but they can't catch everything. That's why training your team to spot phishing is one of the most practical things you can do for your organization's security.

Here's how companies actually structure it well.

Start with the education piece

A good training curriculum covers more than "don't click suspicious links." Your employees need to recognize the specific techniques attackers use, including brand impersonation (fake DocuSign or PayPal emails), business email compromise (someone pretending to be your CEO), and urgency tricks designed to short-circuit careful thinking.

Cover the warning signs that show up in real attacks. Mismatched sender domains (the display name says "IT Support" but the address is it-helpdesk@gmail.com). Hover text that doesn't match the visible link. Requests for credentials, wire transfers, or gift cards sent by email. Spelling that's almost right but not quite ("micros0ft.com").

Training should also explain what to do after spotting something suspicious. Report it, don't just delete it. A deleted phishing attempt doesn't help your security team understand what's being targeted.

Run simulated phishing tests

Reading about phishing is one thing. Being surprised by a fake phishing email in your actual inbox is another. Simulations are more effective because they create real muscle memory.

A common frequency that works well is monthly or quarterly, depending on your industry and risk level. Healthcare and finance teams often run monthly. Most organizations start quarterly and adjust from there. The key is not to make tests feel punitive. If someone clicks, they should see an immediate, friendly explanation of what they missed, not a stern email from HR two days later.

Good simulations rotate the scenarios. Test credential-harvesting attempts one month, invoice fraud the next, IT password reset requests after that. Attackers don't use one playbook, and your team shouldn't train against just one either.

Measure what actually matters

Now the numbers worth tracking are click rate on simulated phishing emails (lower is better, aim below 5% over time), reporting rate (the percentage who flag the suspicious email rather than just ignore or delete it), and repeat offenders who keep clicking despite training. That last group needs a different approach, whether that's one-on-one coaching or a different format of training that works better for how they learn.

A mature program usually sees click rates drop significantly in the first 6 to 12 months. Some organizations see click rates fall from 25% to under 8% within a year of consistent training. That's real risk reduction.

Keep it alive, not just annual

Annual security awareness training is the bare minimum, and it's not enough on its own. Threats change fast. A year-old training deck won't mention the latest AI-generated spear phishing attacks that are nearly impossible to spot by surface-level cues alone. Short, frequent updates (even a 3-minute video or a monthly tip) keep awareness active without burning people out.

Still the goal isn't perfection. It's making sure your team pauses before they click, and knows who to call when something feels off.

If you want to understand what attackers are actually looking for when they target a company's email, the question on signs of a phishing email is a good place to start before you build your training content. And if you're also trying to protect your domain from being used in phishing attacks on others, our free DMARC Generator can help you get that first record in place.