There has been a significant shift toward more and more remote and online work being done from home rather than the office.
This shift was considered a disruption by traditional businesses and analysts, but for those savvy enough to grasp the idea and run with it, there are tremendous upsides to remote work.
Remote work is trending even more than previously expected. The idea of remote work was something that was considered a perk or compromise (such as shortened family leave)in the not-too-distant-past.
But with a majority of businesses having gone remote in the past year plus, the trend of remote working seems to be becoming more permanent.
In fact, over 41% of white collared jobs offer some combination of in person and remote work already with over 25% of people working remotely exclusively.
Some of the advantages to working from home are
Time Flexibility
One of the greatest perks to working remotely is the absence of a commute to the office. This factor alone can save hours a week, reduce anxiety, and costs associated like gas, making the concept of work more palatable.
Life/Work Balance
In addition to having some flexibility with time spent to-and-from work, as well as the demands of work itself improving, there is a sense of better life/work balance as individuals are able to control their work demands and balance those with family needs.
Sense of Improved Wellbeing
The sense that life is not about getting to work, working, and coming home with very little time to spend with family and loved ones is one that workers complain about with job and life satisfaction.
Working from home provides a boost to the idea of well being as the life/work balance is more attune to the pressures of work versus those at home.
Even with these advantages, there are some hurdles that employees and employers should be aware of.
The more that people are spending time online, the greater the risk of potential exposure to hacking and loss of personal (or corporate) information.
It’s an unavoidable fact that the more time spent connected (whether online or in person) the greater the risk of exposure to hostiles.
This risk is seen all the time on the news about a data hack or leak that exposes millions of personal data from online hackers.
These hackers can find any number of loopholes to exploit, some create phishing scams for information, some may create a false site replicating a governmental site to steal personal info, while others may be more elaborate.
Finding a safe, secure option if you need to change an address online, it’s crucial that you can trust the websites before you give your personal information online.
With more people working, shopping, and browsing online, the level of security needs to keep pace. Software such as top-notched Norton’s 360 Deluxe, or itemized security software is a good start both for your computer and the sites visited, who should be detailing their security procedures as well.
An added security feature to consider is using a VPN or Virtual Private Network for your business. A VPN allows only authorized computers to link and communicate to each other, making the transactions more secure.
By using a VPN for your company, you can assure that only individuals with access to your server can access it. By going the VPN route, you have added security for when your remote workers are on another tab or window looking at less-than-work-level websites and more.
Working remotely was seen as a fluke, something that wasn’t a possibility all that long ago.
Now having had to go remote in most industries for over a year, the reality is that the company culture won’t be ruined, that productivity actually improves, and that employees are generally happier than being in a traditional work environment. What was considered an inconvenience for business is fast becoming the norm.
And with the volume of individuals online while working and playing, protecting private information can be a huge undertaking.
Getting top-notch security software, using a secure VPN, installing the proper firewalls and more are the best protection you and your business can take during this massive shift in the workplace.