Heightened fears around the Covid19 virus have resulted in a rapidly growing remote workforce. As the trend toward the home office continues, do you find yourself suddenly looking at the kitchen table in a new light?
Before you plug in and fire up for the first time, review this list of tech essentials for the remote worker:
Connectivity and perhaps a more robust home network are obviously extremely important. There is nothing more frustrating than intermittent slowdowns or spotty coverage during your workday. Consider upgrading your router and speaking with your internet provider about increasing your network upload and download speeds.
Take time to source team communication and collaboration tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams and of course apps like WhatsApp, which is ideal for those quick chats to share brief insights and seek feedback.
Research video conferencing software solutions such as Skype, Zoom or Google Hangouts for those essential face to face meetings.
Consider how will you effortlessly and seamlessly share and store files amongst your team. Now may be the ideal time to embrace file sharing solutions such as Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox.
Pay extra attention to cybersecurity measures. Speak to your colleagues about a VPN (virtual private network) and of course be sure your laptop or home desktop has up to date anti-virus or anti-malware software product installed.
… and for those of you with little ones or teenagers in the house we highly recommend noise-cancelling headphones. Actually, purchase those first!
Now only one question remains. As countless companies embrace the remote work force whether willingly or begrudgingly, will this be the demise of the traditional office tower and conservative corporate culture?
Ponder that while you enjoy your shortened (pj-clad) commute from the bedroom to your home office.