In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Working from Home has
become the new normal. While Working from
Home allows businesses to continue to operate, it also has its downside.
Below are the top threats for Working from Home.
- Cybersecurity – Working from Home brings a whole slew of cybersecurity threats. Insecure Wi-Fi, employees working from non-secure personal computers (instead of company computers), and an increase in phishing email attacks are just a few of cybersecurity threats remote workers face. Check out our recent Cybersecurity Tips for Working from Home blog post HERE.
- Unreliable Home Internet – Cable and other low-cost Home Internet providers typically oversubscribe their bandwidth. At most times, this isn’t a problem, but with a huge increase in Working from Home, including VOIP and video conferencing traffic, there often isn’t enough bandwidth. Outages and poor quality Internet can adversely affect Working from Home. Employees may be able to use their mobile phone as a cellular hot spot in a pinch.
- VOIP/Unified Communications – Employees typically find it easy to use their desk phone at the office, but may struggle with using a Soft Phone and headset on their computer while Working from Home.
- Working Too Little – Some employees may struggle with the concept of Working from Home. Constant interruptions from their children, spouse, pets, the doorbell, and laundry/TV can cause low productivity. Here’s a great blog post on how to manage interruptions while Working from Home.
- Working Too Much – On the opposite end of the spectrum are employees who seem to be working all the time. They send emails at 5am and make work calls after 6pm. This often creates a work/home life imbalance. Check out this blog on how to get out of the rut of working too much.
- Prioritizing Your Work – When Working from Home, you don’t have your boss popping in the door of your office to check on things. This means that you need to be a self-motivated expert on time management. If you get your most important task done first thing, don’t plan on too many tasks during the course of one day, limit your distractions, and take breaks to keep your energy up, you’ll find that prioritizing your work tasks will be easier than you think.
- Loneliness & Lack of Human Interaction – For many of us, our co-workers are our social circle. Even with Microsoft Teams or other collaboration tools, it’s not quite the same as chatting with a co-worker around the water cooler. Click HERE for this great article on how to deal with loneliness while Working from Home.
- Communication Issues – While Working from Home is great, there’s nothing quite like working in an office and overhearing what your coworkers are working on, or impromptu meetings about a client’s issue. Communication tools like Microsoft Teams can help bridge the gap, and turning on your video camera can make you feel more connected, but there are still many additional challenges to overcome. Check out this great Microsoft Teams blog post for some awesome tips.
These are just some of the threats that remote workers face. Educating your remote workers can help them be more productive and overall happier in their employment with your company.
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