Protecting Privacy and Information: Work-from-home
Our home was supposedly our secret, private space, away from work and our sanctuary from a busy day. Since the 2019 Coronavirus outbreak, our homes are more than just our shelter. They have become the office, a classroom, a room for virtual connectivity, and for many people, a place that they have not been allowed to leave for several months.
The UK workforce work-from-home policies have created new rules, new operations, new ways of working and communicating with businesses, sales people, colleagues, and clients. People are bringing their work home with them, and in the home there could be less security than at work. Data is less protected, home security is easier to breach than office based protocols, people could be sharing wifi connections, internet connections, and devices. When you are working from home on the phone, everyone can hear your conversations, and if you live in terraced houses,, flats, of adjoining houses, there is also a risk that your neighbours are prying. The clear desk policies at the office are abandoned at home. The paper that gets shredded in an office can be ripped into small pieces at home, but is that just as secure?
What privacy measures that are compulsory in the office are not possible at home?
How can we increase our home based security?
- Avoid work conversations
As much as possible, have confidential conversations away from others. You might feel so comfortable in your home environment that you tend to forget that you are not alone. To be safe, stick to neutral subjects and limit work conversations to chat or email.
- Be cautious when uploading files
Sometimes we accidentally send files to the wrong person. It is important to be cautious when uploading files whether it is a photograph for your post on social media, or it is a confidential document for work – be careful.
- Make sure your computer is safe
Be extra vigilant spotting fraudulent or malicious emails. If you are using your personal computer for work, make sure that your operating system is up to date. If you’re not comfortable doing all the tech stuff on your own, you can call your company IT support for help.
- Be careful of what you open.
There are several scams that get into your computer via email, messenger, or by clicking on adverts on screen. Be careful what you click on, it could contain a virus.
Working from home is still working. You still need to adhere to the work place policies as closely as possible, and if work wants to view your desk, through your laptop camera, they have the right to do so. There is a lot of trust being placed on employees when working from home, and you dont want CCTV set up in your home, and watched by people in the office.
