Learning Point: Check out the security of your home-working environment.
Many people are now working from home and for some people this is a new experience. Even if you are already used to working from home, you may now have additional people in your household sharing your workspace which can add to the challenges, especially if you have school age children.
It is easy to overlook the boundaries between work and home, when you are working from home. To keep a professional image, we need to work at keeping a virtual distinction as much as possible between the two, and dedicate specific time and space for work in your home environment.
Many companies are understanding of intrusions from family members during this difficult period; however, you should still make sure you know what your employer expects from employees working from home by checking the company Remote Working policy. With common sense from employees and understanding from employers, we will all get through this challenging period.
Here are some tips to bear in mind when home working:
- Before taking part in a video meeting, prepare ahead, checking out a suitable location in which to place your laptop. Test out the video and microphone settings, to ensure you can be seen and heard if needed, or muted and not seen according to your requirements. Remember to check your background.
- Consider whether you need to secure any company paperwork containing personal information or confidential company data in a lockable cabinet or drawer. If this is not possible, discuss the situation with your line manager.
- When making work telephone calls, ensure that other household members are not able to overhear the content of confidential conversations.
- When using email to send or receive work related content use the company VPN (virtual private network). If your company does not have one, then ensure you password protect documents which contain personal data and double-check the recipients of your emails before you send them.
- Office wastepaper should not be disposed of in domestic dustbins. Wastepaper should be stored securely until it can be taken to company premises for disposal. Ensure that all confidential wastepaper is shredded.Material provided by our friends at Data Protection Consulting www.dataprotection.me.uk