While everyone was making vows this January to make it the best year for their career, COVID-19 seems to have pulled the plug on their expectations for 2020. While remote working has become commonplace over the last few years, the majority of office workers have been struggling to find that balance between work and home during this pandemic. While it may be just another day at work for remote workers, office workers have been adjusting and taking it one day at a time.
If you have been a remote worker, you have probably avoided making these mistakes. However, if you are someone who is dealing with work from home for the first time, be ready to take notes:
Using A Weak Or Open WiFi
Using a weak WiFI when one is conducting official work can disrupt communication. All critical morning meetings could be delayed, greatly affecting your efficiency.
What is more, using public WiFI is dangerous in general, and when we talk about using the same for official work, it becomes even more so. The sensitive company data you may be handling also become susceptible to cyberattacks, like ransomware or hacks.
Sharing Pictures Of Your Work Desk
Sharing photos of your workspace at home – no matter what – can be dangerous. It could potentially expose some sensitive company data that you are working on to the public. However, if you still wish to, make sure you have removed any company-related material from your picture/video frame.
Leaving Your Work Device Unlocked
This is a common habit of people working on PCs or laptops at offices. Many people leave their devices unlocked, and the repercussions they might have to face in the office space is different from what they might have to when at home.
If there are children at home, they could either delete or make changes to your code, or modify some things in your excel sheets. This in turn, could lead to spending a lot of time looking for and correcting those mistakes.
Sharing A Laptop
Working from home in the time of a lockdown like this can become dull – if not for you, then for other family members at home. One thing to keep in mind is never to share your work device with anyone. Even if you do, make sure there is a separate profile where they can operate freely without affecting your work data.
Using The Same Browser For Work And Personal Use
Using the same browser for both personal and professional use not only results in a change in the kind of data and advertisements you see because of the cache, but it can also bring about other variations. Plus, it would slow down your work while browsing and researching. It is better to have a separate browser or a different profile altogether for personal and professional use.
Not Using VPN
While using VPN will get your bandwidth down, and in some cases, charge you a small fee, using a VPN will ensure an extra layer of security for your work. VPN especially comes in handy when you are exchanging confidential information over a network.
Mixing Personal And Professional Lives
While it is called ‘work from home’, many people tend to work from their bed or their couch in a dark room. While it might feel comfortable to do so, working that way will only reduce productivity for most people and cause significant hindrance to their work.
Have a separate office space created in your home, which is brightly lit. Also, while it is important to ensure that you are comfortable, laziness should not come in the way. Make sure you try to follow the same routine that you follow at the office.
