The lines are also observed to be rising in the productivity graph chart as an employee now works from the comfort of his/her home without feeling the need to yell in the 9’o o’clock traffic jam while commuting to work. 

With the support of all of these positive sides, the work-from-home model has been adopted globally by well-recognized firms. But at the same time, we’ve seen some downsides too in many domains.

One is the area of cybersecurity. 

If you’re working from home, you should consider these factors as major ones and try to implement them at all costs to eliminate the vulnerability elements from your private information.

1. Stay Away From Free Wi-Fi

Hosting a bogus Wi-Fi network by hackers is the traditional way of stealing sensitive information.

They can set it up as bait to connect as many users as possible to enter into their devices to steal sensitive data like social security numbers or bank account information. 

If you’re working on your laptop in a public library or a cafe, make sure to cover all the security measures. 

Even if you’re firm that you’re connecting to a legit Wi-Fi network of a friend or a relative, use cybersecurity tools. Because you never know if they have been compromised.

2. Use a VPN Client

A VPN creates a secure pathway between you and the VPN server. Whatever you do online will be encrypted. Not even your internet service provider or government authorities can see what you’re doing.

Moreover, a VPN will let you connect to your office’s internal network without commuting to the office. You can be anywhere in the world and still use the resources of your company as long as your device has clearance. 

The only hard work you have to do is sign up for a reliable VPN provider. Don’t go for an average VPN provider just because it has a lower cost. And definitely don’t go for free VPN services.

Free VPNs are a straight no. NDTV says, many Android VPNs leak data, contain malware, and aren’t encrypted. They will sell your data to the first bidder without even thinking for once to earn a commission.

So a subscription plan to a paid VPN provider with a strict no-log policy is your best buy.

3. Use Difficult Passwords

Even if it’s your bank account, your social media account, or your laptop password, use long and difficult ones.

Short passwords with no unique characters are easy to guess and your account can be easily compromised.

The best practice is to use a difficult and strong, easy-to-remember password that wouldn’t make you look in a piece of paper or a digital notebook every time you’re trying to log in.

A good combination to create a strong password include a mixture of uppercase alphabets, unique characters, and numeric keys, like Iamwhatiam@13579 (should probably change my password now).

This also brings me to the next point. Always remember to frequently change your password.

You can also use a password generator tool to come up with a non-human result. And if you can’t remember it, use a reliable password vault app to keep all of your passwords protected.

4. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

If you’re working from home with a separate laptop and your work computer is chilling in your office cabin, then this tip is essential for you.

Use multi-factor authentication on your sensitive accounts so you can know if someone in your office is trying to be shady with your work computer. 

Multi-factor will immediately send you a notification to confirm if it’s you who is trying to access the account or if it’s someone from satan’s army. It will send you an OTP code, an email token, or a simple phone call reciting your verification code to you.

The minute you’ll receive it, you’ll know that someone has gone rogue with your office hardware and you can take the necessary actions to prevent it.

5. Keep Your Computer Updated

It is necessary to keep your computer’s operating system up to date. Developers are constantly working to improve the quality and remove any possible loopholes that can lead a way for attackers to enter your system.

While it can be a little frustrating to wait for your computer to complete an update or see a queue of newly released patches in your app store, they are there to make sure that even the nanoscopic vulnerabilities are taken care of.

You’ve probably noticed that programs and apps related to health, banking, and property are always in an iterative process of maintenance. It is because of their sensitive nature.

Because it would be catastrophic for a user including the organization if sensitive information like the ones described above is leaked and compromised.

So it becomes essential for us to be more responsible. If the companies and firms are doing their part, it is important that we do our part too by accepting their work.

The post 5 Important Safety Tips For Remote Workers appeared first on Tech Today Info.

With more and more people becoming a part of the remote workforce, managers and leaders need to regularly motivate and effectively manage teams. Nonetheless, this can be challenging as managers need to ensure that employees are high on energy and motivation. Positive work culture and strong relationships with your team members helps in remote workforce management.

Below are some strategies on how to motivate and manage a remote workforce?

1. Ensure Effective Communication

One of the most common challenges of working remotely is communication. Seeing someone in the office every day does reveal to us a lot about them which, while working remotely, we do not have access to. This is why managers must make the extra effort of communicating with their team members. Keeping the lines of communication open as well as being transparent will make you seem approachable and friendly. Apart from frequent email and chat exchanges, take the onus to do video calls as they help check up on colleagues as well as learn about issues that email and chat exchanges do not uncover. Also, try to include more and more members in group calls to build new relationships.

2. Equip Them With the Right Tools

It is very important to convert average employees into high performing ones. Along with the right direction and motivation, equipping them with the right tools is also necessary. Each and every area of work that the employee engages in must have the right tool facilitating smooth and easy operation. Most of the digital solutions available today are easy to access and affordable. Video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Meet are a must-have, and so are project management tools like asana that help one keep track of things.

3. Organize Team Building Activities

Once a month, managers and leaders must organize a fun virtual activity that brings the entire team together. This will give a sense of belongingness to employees as well as boost their morale. Moreover, team-building activities help create new bonds within the team through shared experiences both in victories and losses, which is invaluable to the company in the short and long term as it stirs up healthy competition within the ranks.

4. Set Benchmarks and Offer Incentives

One sure way of keeping employees high on motivation and energy is to set clear expectations in terms of their current role and tell them why it is crucial to company culture. This will help foster a growth mindset that makes them realize there is always scope for improvement and see their past achievements as stepping stones towards more success. At the same time, a roadmap of a successful employee’s journey with milestones will help new employees learn what the company expects of them and what they need to do to achieve success.

Simply setting benchmarks is not enough as companies must have an incentive and recognition program in place to make them feel good about their contribution. Remote software developers / workers are more prone to feelings of isolation and detachment as they are not regularly interacting with colleagues in the office. This is why it is important to show them that their contribution matters with timely incentives and team shoutouts. Moreover, studies show that employees who feel valued tend to stay with the company for longer and are more driven to excel at work.

Conclusion

Remote work is here to stay, which is why it is important that more and more organizations embrace the strategies which will help them constantly motivate and inspire their workforce. Management challenges for leaders like low productivity and lack of initiative occur less frequently when employees get the necessary amount of care. Organizations need to take note of the fact that motivating employees doesn’t happen quickly; it is a long term process that needs daily consistency and effort to make it a part of the company culture. 

The post How to Motivate and Manage a Remote Workforce? appeared first on Tech Today Info.