The hybrid workplace model has risen in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Because many employees were required to stay at home, this environment was created to blend in-office work with remote work.
For many employees and employers, it’s an ideal situation that combines autonomy with sociability and structure.
However, it is not without its risks including potential threats to cybersecurity, physical equipment, and mental health.
If your business has adopted a hybrid workplace model, it’s important to keep your business safe. Here are three areas you should pay particular attention to:
1. Cybersecurity
When you have employees working from home using the internet, it’s important to ensure that you have the proper security protocols in place. Otherwise, you risk having individuals access sensitive data.
A business VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be used to mask your IP address, locations, and online activity by encrypting your employee’s internet connections. This makes it so that no outsiders can access the network and information.
There are also pieces of equipment you can buy that will allow you to manage your security protocols through the cloud, making it easier for you to remotely keep an eye on the safety of your business’s information.
Lastly, be sure to clearly communicate any security protocols you implement to your employees so that they know what is expected of them, such as restricting their access to company systems on personal devices and public wifi networks.
2. Physical Security
When you’re sending employees home to work in a hybrid workplace situation, you need to ensure that your equipment is also secure from physical attacks such as vandalism and theft.
When it comes to laptops and computers, you can install GPS programs to track your equipment should it go missing. Otherwise, there are physical locks you can purchase that can secure computers to desks so they can’t be taken.
However you ensure physical security, it’s important to protect your equipment and your company’s assets.
3. Psychological Security
While it’s important to protect your business’s physical and digital property, you also need to take the well-being of your employees into consideration as well.
As more businesses transition to hybrid workplaces, it can be difficult for some employees to suddenly work in isolation away from their coworkers. It can also be difficult for those working from home to differentiate between their work life and their home life.
Here are tips for helping your employees protect their mental health:
- Clear Boundaries: Make sure your employees clearly understand when they are supposed to work and do not contact them outside of work hours.
- Educate Your Employees: Explain to your workers what the hybrid workplace model is going to look like and how it’s going to work.
- Provide Support: You can support your employees by offering mental health training as well as educate yourself on how to recognize the signs of a mental health struggle.
Most of all, remember to be mindful of your worker’s situation and realize that the pandemic has affected everyone differently, from those who are anxious about returning to work to those who still have their children at home.
Keeping Your Business Safe in 2021
COVID-19 forced many businesses around the world to think outside the box when it comes to adopting the hybrid workplace trend – especially when it comes to safety and security.
Keep your business safe by securing your data, your equipment, and, most of all, the overall well-being of your employees.
