If working from home has become ‘the new normal’ for you here are a few tips to ensure privacy and online safety recently published by ZoneAlarm.
1. Manage your time wisely
Working from home can oftentimes prove to be hard as it easily blends the lines between work and personal life. For instance, you may be in the middle of preparing for your morning Zoom meeting when all of a sudden your child, who may be home due to schools being closed, is suddenly hungry or bored. It becomes easy to stay off track in both areas, so managing your time wisely is crucial to avoid the stress that comes with trying to juggle both.
Create a daily routine that allows you to set clear boundaries between work and personal life. If you live with a working partner or a spouse, divide the house chores so that you can both meet your work requirements.
Get help from an outside source-your next-door neighbour wants to make a little extra cash? Offer him to watch your kids for a couple of hours a day or take your dog out on a walk.
Make sure to stock your fridge with ready to eat food and snacks so that you don’t spend too much time cooking during the day.
Ask for those who live with you to respect your quiet time during these set hours and set up your meetings to fit these work hours.
2. Create a quiet, well-lit work environment
If you don’t have a home office, aim to set up a work station in a bedroom or near the living room. However, if you don’t live alone, try to be facing away from the rest of the house so that you don’t get distracted easily.
3. Take care of yourself
Working from home can take its toll on people’s emotional well-being. Whether it’s being in isolation or having your family around you 24/7, this concept has proven to be burdensome on many. In fact, during 2020, anxiety and depression cases have tripled. This can be attributed to corona’s effects on people’s growing fears in light of uncertainty and lack of human contact. In order for you and your employees to remain productive and capable while working from home, it is essential to apply the following:
Take breaks often. Whether it’s to make a phone call to a family member or friend, make sure to get some human interaction a few times a day while working from home.
Depending on where you live and the local rules, if you can, go outside for a walk or some fresh air. Engaging in an outdoor activity, such as a walk, run, stretching, yoga, or meditation, can really help you stay focused and energized when working from home.
4. Avoid public Wi-Fi
As staying at home can get tough on all of us, some may choose to work from outside. Whether it’s from a park that offers free Wi-Fi or on a bench in front of a café, many prefer to work outside in the fresh air. However, using public Wi-Fi can be very dangerous, as it gives hackers easier access to your computer, putting your data and company in jeopardy. We suggest that if you still wish to work outside, do the work that does not require internet access and get all the docs you need prior to going outside when still using a secured network.
5. Keep work data on work computer
If you were given a laptop from work, chances are that it’s secured with the workplace’s internal VPN and other security measures. However, it’s recommended to have a good and reliable security suite installed and running on the device you’re working from to lower the chances to have the business data leaked. Keep on reading to see our recommendation for one.
6. Change passwords on a regular basis
It goes without saying that using an easy to guess password is the fastest way someone can hack into your device. Find out how to choose a good password in this article, and make sure to change them often.
7. Install a comprehensive Internet Security program
When working from home, protecting your computer and your privacy is essential. If you’re using a work computer they may already have a solution installed otherwise take the steps to get a solution that offers comprehensive security.
