Yes. If a Mac ever leaves your office, FileVault is the difference between a lost laptop and a reportable data breach. It encrypts everything on the startup disk, so without the login password the drive is unreadable, even if someone pulls it out and connects it to another machine.
What FileVault actually does
FileVault is full-disk encryption built into macOS. When it's on, the contents of the drive are scrambled at rest. The Mac unscrambles them only after someone signs in with an authorized account. Shut the Mac down, and the data goes back to being a locked box.
What it does not do is protect a Mac that's already unlocked and running. FileVault guards a powered-off or locked device. It is not a replacement for a strong login password, an automatic screen lock, or keeping macOS up to date.
Why it matters more than people expect
Most data loss in a small office isn't a movie-style hack. It's a laptop left in a car, a bag grabbed at a coffee shop, or a machine that walks out the door when someone leaves on bad terms. Without encryption, whoever ends up with that Mac can read every file, email, and saved login on it. With FileVault on, they get a paperweight.
How to turn it on
On a current Mac it takes a few clicks. Open System Settings, go to Privacy and Security, and switch on FileVault. Encryption runs in the background while you keep working, and you won't notice it day to day. The one step people skip is the step that matters most.
The recovery key is the part that bites people
When you enable FileVault, macOS gives you a recovery key. It's the only way back in if someone forgets their password. Lose both the password and the key, and the data is gone for good. That's the point of real encryption, but it means the key needs a home. Store it somewhere safe and separate from the Mac, like a password manager or your IT provider's documentation, not a sticky note on the laptop.
Make it standard, not optional
Turn FileVault on for every business Mac and keep the recovery keys in one managed place. Once you're past a handful of machines, a mobile device management tool can enforce it and store the keys for you, so it's never one employee's job to remember. Set it up once, and every Mac that joins the company is covered from day one.