Tips for Working in the Home Office with Video

How to Navigate the Work-From-Home Renaissance

If you’re like one-in-four Americans, you are now working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Working from home can bring about new rules, adjustments, and routines in our daily lives. We all know that change can be a difficult process. It doesn’t have to be. With the right resources and plan, you can ease your way in and out of the transition between work and home life. In this article, we will go over tips and tricks to help maintain sanity and online safety during a chaotic time.

As if Work Wasn’t Stressful Enough Before, Right? 

Numerous studies in the past and present show that work-related stress is far and away from the major source of stress for American adults. 

Above are statistics reported in 2006, well before COVID-19 played a factor in our work-related stress. Can you imagine how great these numbers have changed? 

Presently, nearly 7 in 10 employees indicated in a survey conducted by a mental health professional that the pandemic is the most stressful time of their entire professional career. In July 2020, 31.3 million people reported they had been unable to work at some point in the last 4 weeks due to their employer closing or losing business. Many who continued to work feared their job’s security. 

Source: https://www.ajmc.com/view/how-has-covid19-affected-mental-health-severity-of-stress-among-employees

Not to mention, the dynamics of their career and workload had changed immensely. Juggling work and personal lives as the two worlds collided became a challenge for many working parents. Working adults with children are now forced to wear many hats and change them seamlessly. Between teaching and caring for their children, completing work tasks, maintaining their physical and mental health, keeping up with their social lives, and tracking finances, it can seem like three full-time jobs. It can be a very daunting task to maintain it all. 

With the additional obstacles, those working from home still have to “show up,” for work daily on zoom or other video conferencing services. This comes with its own set of worries. But, don’t fret, there are rules and action plans to help you navigate your online work. Let’s lessen your load and clean up your virtual world.

Digital Hygiene in the Age of Zoom

Digital hygiene is the catch-all term for the behaviors related to maintaining your digital life. It is the practice of preserving your privacy and successfully upholding your workplace reputation. There are many benefits, especially now, in cleaning up your digital world. It keeps you safer, calmer, and more satisfied. There are many digital hygiene tips both related to the new work-from-home world and in general. 

It is important to remember that there are still rules while working from home, and some are more obvious than others. The line between our personal and professional spaces may be blurred, but in many ways, the rules of conduct are still the same. 

Welcome To My Crib

In 2000 MTV introduced a documentary television program called “MTV Cribs.” The show featured tours of the private homes of celebrities. This is what we want to avoid while zooming. With our offices situated in our living rooms, bedrooms, or even the kitchen, we must remember our colleagues are not our roommates. It’s important to protect your private space. Many adults working from home are living the “I came to school in my underwear,” nightmare: private texts showing in your work chats, confidential photos accidentally appearing, or children yelling at inappropriate times. It sounds silly, but those employed are no stranger to these new fears. 

How do we protect our private lives? Here are some suggestions:

1. Turn off your camera when it is not needed. If you are worried about appearing absent, make yourself visible at the beginning for introductions.

2. Keep a post-it note or tape over the computer’s camera when not in use.

3. When your camera is on, make sure it is facing a wall or use an appropriate virtual background.

4. Keep your microphone muted unless required to speak. It will be much appreciated by others, especially during a large group call. These calls were not designed to hear 10 environments at once.

5. Double-check your screen before sharing.

6. Never share your whole screen, just share the particular application.

7. If you are hosting, you can disable other people’s ability to share their screen.

8. If there is a minor disaster or an invasion of privacy, make a joke and move on. The less you acknowledge the mishap, the less awkward it is.

I Always Feel Like Someone’s Watching Me

Not all employers monitor what you do on work devices, but some do. Some companies will block entire websites, or regulate what you can or cannot access. They could be monitoring you with software designed to log your keystrokes or by taking a screenshot of what you’re working on. In some cases, all of your work computer’s web requests go through the employer’s proxy system. This means whoever is tracking you can see what websites you have visited. Some companies care less about what you’re doing while working, but rather where you are doing it. They will be able to track where the work device is located. These are all things to keep in mind.

More Digital Hygiene Tips:

1. Organize your inbox and unsubscribe from junk emails. Keeping your inbox tidy and exclusive is the first step towards an organized and clean virtual life. Get rid of that newsletter you hit “mark read,” on every day. It’s actually a great feeling.

2. Update your devices and delete old apps and accounts. It’s just like decluttering a closet. Decide what you use, and what is no longer needed. 

3. Move everything into a password manager. This is an effective way to remember your strong passwords and protect yourself online.

4. Turn on multi-factor authentication. This will require you (or whoever is trying to log in) to verify identity via text or email.

5. Review privacy and security settings on all accounts.

The Bottom Line

It is recommending separating online personal and online work-life whenever possible. Use a dedicated password manager for work. Avoid using your personal email for work applications. Follow any tips or programs that your IT or security department provides you with. Turn digital hygiene into a routine to provide yourself safety, security, and peace of mind. By cleaning up your digital life as you go, you won’t have to spend several hours cleaning up your online mess. This year has been full of challenges and unprecedented changes. There are things in your control, and that includes your digital hygiene. 

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