So you’ve been told that you need to work from home. You’re hardly alone; millions of Americans are facing the possibility of working from home, if not now then in the near future. This is for a myriad of reasons. The economy has definitely been facing a good deal of setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some companies attempted to take a “wait and see” approach, many launched into work from home scenarios immediately. Furthermore, many businesses that initially had employees on a traditional furlough now realize that they need to have them working at home for the long term. There are many benefits to having employees work from home for the average small business. For one thing, they are able to save money on office spaces. Rather than paying rent and utilities for an office space, a business can have its employees work from home. For that matter, this means that small business owners don’t have to employ office administrators, whose sole purposes would be to run a conventional office. While this may mean in some cases that the roles of office administrators would be eliminated, many could still be re-trained and transitioned into different positions. Nonetheless, the fact that moving into a work from home space is necessary for a business doesn’t mean that the process will be easy. It’s important that work from home employees have hardware that serves them properly, but of course, something of a learning curve comes with the process. Let’s find out what employees should look for when transitioning from traditional work processes to remote work.
1. Desktop
Perhaps most clearly in terms of hardware that serves the contemporary employee, remote desktops are necessary for those working from home. It’s incredibly important that those working from home have a desktop that not only handles the most basic parts of working from home, like communications, but also issues specific to their workplace. Typically, employees would be provided with a desktop that is easily portable and pre-loaded with the types of software necessary to accomplish tasks. The issue with a desktop meant for specific work-related processes is that it not only needs to be ready but also secure. It’s all too easy for information to be stolen from employees that are working from home, simply because many of them don’t instinctively know how to secure the hardware that serves them. Therefore, it’s crucial that the hardware given to employees is outfitted with the necessary security-related software.
2. Visual And Auditory Hardware
It’s not enough for employees to be given software that handles basic components of the working process. In this day and age, hardware that serves working people must also address communications-related issues. Businesses can’t function today without employees being able to communicate with each other. For that matter, it’s also crucial that employers and employees are able to record meetings and work periods, not only for their records but to verify that work is being conducted as needed. Though it would be ideal for employers to remain capable of simply trusting their remote workforce, this, unfortunately, is not always the case. In order for employees not only function properly but clearly, good visual and auditory equipment is necessary.
3. Printers
While most remote employees will rely largely on software and digital documentation, printers will at times be necessary. Employees will function much more efficiently if they’re able to simply print out documents at home, rather than visiting a print shop. While it was once common for people to keep printers at home, due to the digitization of documents, lots of people no longer own printers. Even when employees own personal printers, it’s not advisable for employees to use their personal technological devices for work issues. As cyber-security breaches led to business losses of $45 billion in 2018 alone, it’s important that businesses take security seriously.
It’s not enough for employees to have the technology necessary to work. They also need to have remote workforce support systems, as well as careful help and supervision from those above them in the company. As we move into a work from home system, employers must be both careful and flexible.
