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Much has been said about how the rise of remote work has made life easier for many professionals, but there are some tasks that require more effort when you’re not in the office. Most people use company-provided tech equipment for their work. When staff members are in the office, the IT team handles most routine maintenance and can remind everyone about best practices for security. However, when the staff is working remotely, the responsibility for basic maintenance of their tech equipment falls directly on them.
Tech leaders work hard to instill good tech hygiene habits among their remote colleagues, but that’s only half the battle. They often see bad habits form among remote workers when it comes to using and maintaining their company-provided tech equipment. Below, 14 members of Forbes Technology Council share some of the more common bad tech-related habits remote workers fall into and why it’s so essential to avoid them.
1. Using Public-Access Wi-Fi
Remote workers often work in public spaces such as coffee shops or libraries. While it can be a nice change in routine, it’s a bad habit to regularly use public-access Wi-Fi while using a company computer. Unprotected Wi-Fi networks open employees up to potential cyberattacks and vulnerabilities and make it easy for cybercriminals looking to gain access to critical company and personal data. – Gleb Polyakov, Nylas
2. Not Practicing Good Cyber Hygiene
Often when working out of the office, workers assume using company equipment will help them be secure enough. The reality is that the basics of good cyber hygiene—such as running software updates, using multifactor authentication and a VPN, and being very selective about Wi-Fi networks—are required regardless of which workstation you’re using. Laptops and other portable devices are just one of the many pieces of the puzzle to be considered. – Michael Xie, Fortinet
3. Connecting Personal And Work Devices Via Bluetooth
One of the most frustrating things I have experienced in working from home during the pandemic is having my devices and PC connected over Bluetooth. The ability to take my phone calls has turned out to be insidious, as these calls can often cause my Teams or Zoom audio to be interrupted. I think we need to help employees by establishing best practices around coordinating watch, tablet, phone and PC communications. – Rajesh Iyer, Capgemini Consulting
4. Not Applying Software Updates
A big problem is ignorance of the importance of software updates. When staff members are working in the office, the IT department can take care of most software updates by pushing them through internal network tools and processes. But when team members are working remotely, the onus is on them to carry out the usual maintenance; support windows are not available for the IT department, and it is up to the workers to manage updates. – Vishwas Sutar, Lowry Solutions
5. Using Work Credentials For Personal Reasons
Covid-19 forced many people to work from home for safety reasons. However, the pandemic has blurred the once clearly defined line between work and personal life. Many people have started to use work emails and passwords for personal reasons, such as registering for online shopping or streaming sites. If those sites are breached, criminals could access your corporate account. – Abdulla Al-Attas, PLUS Malaysia Berhad
6. Not Backing Up Important Work
Along with the standard issues that crop up around security, many remote workers are not backing up important work. Many companies still run on presentations and spreadsheets. Employees need to back up to a server frequently, but many remote workers do not. I believe lost work due to missing updates is one of the high-cost areas not being talked about with our hybrid/remote workforces. – Laureen Knudsen, Broadcom
7. Using Personal Equipment For Work
If your staff is technologically inclined already, they may have better personal tech equipment than what the company provides. Using their personal equipment comes with security risks, as it won’t be managed by your company IT department and could be at greater risk from attackers. Audit your employees regularly for this scenario, and provide great equipment to remove the temptation! – Luke Wallace, Bottle Rocket
8. Creating Weak Passwords And Not Using MFA
Two of the worst tech-related habits an employee can have are creating poor passwords and failing to use multifactor authentication. You want to do everything you can to keep your company equipment safe, even if it’s at the home of a remote employee. If you make these two steps a requirement for using your devices, you can break poor habits while securing data and devices. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
9. Leaving Your Laptop Unlocked When You’re Away From It
A common bad habit among remote workers is a tendency to leave their laptops unlocked when they step away from their work. This could lead to sensitive intellectual property being compromised and/or the system being used for malicious purposes. Unsuspecting remote workers often do that while working in coffee shops and other public settings, which can create a serious threat of data and IP theft. – Gaurav Kheterpal, MTX Group Inc.
10. Not Being Careful When Clicking Links
Whether working remotely or in the office, the bad habit is the same: Too many people still have an in-built desire to click a link when it is sent to them. In 2020, phishing attacks increased by over 600% in the first quarter, and ransomware went up a massive 1200%. This is going to create many more issues down the road. – Keven Knight, Talion
11. Sharing Sensitive Information Over Unsecured Channels
One bad habit, especially among our increasingly distributed workforce, is lax security. Organizations need to ensure that team members don’t casually share sensitive information via unsecured channels such as email or chat. Additionally, organizations should investigate two-factor authentication and consider single sign-on to improve security overall. – Rich Waldron, Tray.io
12. Letting Family And Friends Use Your Work Equipment
Remote workers often trust their cohabitants (family, friends, roommates and so on) with company equipment without realizing that these well-intentioned, trusted sources may unintentionally cause disruption. For example, they may fall victim to phishing attacks, navigate to inappropriate sites, share confidential information on social media and more. – Suchit Tuli, Quantime
13. Not Having An Ergonomic Workspace
We have leaned into work-from-anywhere, which has been a huge benefit to our workforce. One lesson we learned along the way is to plan for a comfortable workspace. Ergonomics is important. Another consideration is work-life balance, as there is a tendency to overwork. We have been mindful of this by encouraging team happy hours—with company-branded YETI wineglasses—and ample downtime. – Michael Benedek, Datonics
14. Not …‘Switching Off’
In the age of remote work, one of the worst habits employees are picking up is the inability to “switch off” Technology should focus on making the lives of remote workers better, but the lines between work and home have been increasingly blurred. We need to ensure that technology is supporting the employee and helping them undertake their job, not becoming a potential cause of burnout. – Jim Darragh, Totalmobile
