The last few years have seen a large number of businesses provide their employees with the option of working from home. The number has only increased in the past 12 months thanks to the spread of the deadly Covid-19 infection.
This leads us to the question, “Are the employees prepared to be as productive when working from home as they used to be when working at their respective offices?”. Modern offices tend to be packed with advanced technologies and possess an all-inclusive infrastructure. Homes, on the other hand, are unlikely to possess even half of that support.
To ensure that you can maintain your productivity even when you work from home, you must keep some devices handy. These devices will prevent you from lagging behind your co-workers and effectively contribute to your company’s performance. Read on to know more.
- Encrypted Router Device
Problem: When you work from home, you must use a high-speed Internet connection. Today, there’s no better way of gaining access to high-speed Internet than by using a quality Wi-Fi connection. Directly connecting your laptop to the Internet will expose all your private data. These include everything from your login information to your bank details.
Consequence: Cybercriminals keep looking for ways to gain access to the private data of Internet users. If you connect your laptop or other smart devices directly to the Internet, they will not need to put in much effort to view your personal information.
Solution: The best solution to the above problem would be installing a VPN router. These routers work by encrypting all traffic inside Wi-Fi networks. Encrypting the connection that connects all the devices you are using when working remotely will ensure that the hackers fail to attack the channel.
- Headphones with a Built-in Microphone
Problem: One of the biggest changes that you will experience when working from home is that you will no longer need to attend the meetings and conferences physically. Everything will take place online. In fact, it has been found that the frequency of team meetings and video conferences increases significantly when employees of a company start to work from home.
When attending those meetings and conferences, you may suddenly discover that the sound quality of the built-in microphone of your laptop or tablet is not good enough. This might stop you from hearing every word uttered during the meetings clearly.
Consequence: When communicating with your clients, bosses, and colleagues through audio or video chats, it’s crucial that you hear everything clearly. If you fail to follow the discussion or struggle to make yourself heard due to bad sound quality, your work might get hampered.
Solution: To bring an end to the problem, get a pair of headphones with built-in microphones. The unit will not only allow you to hear every word clearly but will also help you to project your voice. You can also get a pair of earphones that come with a microphone attached to its cable.
- A Smart Display or Smart Speaker
Problem: Time management becomes a big issue when working from home.
Consequence: As the home office at times allows us to work for a few extra hours, we remain at high risk of missing deadlines.
Solution: Getting a smart display or smart speaker will make time management easier than ever before. The device will allow you to schedule reminders, conduct web searches, and manage a series of smart products using voice commands.
- Noise-cancelling Headphones
Problem: Not all homes have enough space to allow us to work without any distraction or disturbance. For instance, you may need to create a workspace for yourself in your living room and work while your family watches their favorite TV show behind you.
Consequence: Such situations can make it difficult for you to concentrate on work and might lead to a drop in your performance and productivity.
Solution: Buying a pair of quality noise-canceling headphones can be the best solution to this problem. These units tend to cover the user’s ears completely creating an acoustic seal, a technology that blocks all sorts of noise and distractions in the background. Most of the noise-canceling headphones are slightly bulky. However, some companies have already launched reasonably lighter units.
- An External Hard Drive
Problem: When you work from home, you will have to save every single file you create or use when completing a particular project. This might create space constraints for you if you are still using your old PC or laptop.
Consequence: You may need to delete some of your old work files, a decision that can get you into trouble in the future.
Solution: Get an external hard drive to save your work files. These units come in a range of sizes. If you are looking for a drive just to save Word documents, getting one with 200 GB or less space would be enough. For storing image files and word documents, go for a unit that has 200 to 500 GB of space. If you need to save lots of graphic design materials and video files, look for an external hard drive with over 500 GB of space.
Conclusion
Get all or some (as needed) of the tech devices mentioned above to create a perfect home office for yourself. This will not only allow you to perform better as a professional but will also help you to spend more quality time with your family.