Operating under high time pressure, with multiple tasks, and working tight deadlines, users often experience substantial cognitive load, stress, and fatigue that can impact their work. Users can make errors in following security policies or sometimes consciously ignore security policies to focus on other competing priorities at work. Cognitive load on the employee significantly contributes to security errors and conscious choices of following security policies. If the cognitive load is heavy, employees can make more slips, errors, and mistakes that they would have avoided if the security tasks had received their full attention. This study focuses primarily on the role of cognitive load on employees’ ability to respond accurately to security alerts and mandates.