BY DAYO ADESULU
People working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic have discovered some guilty pleasures that they would now like to keep, according to new global research (https://bit.ly/33OXnZC).
Kaspersky commissioned independent research firm Censuswide to conduct a survey of 8,076 employees of small-to-medium businesses (10 – 250 employees) in Brazil, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, UAE, UK, and the USA in October 2020.
Speaking of the opportunities opened up by working from home in South Africa, 15% of respondents said they liked working without clothes. Other novelties favoured by employees in South Africa region include weekday lie-ins (42%), binge-watching Netflix (33%) and working outside in the garden or on a balcony (32%).
As our working environment during the global pandemic shifted from secure offices to kitchen tables, we met many difficulties balancing work and private lives. According to the World Economic Forum (https://bit.ly/37Nn6CK), employees working remotely this year faced mental health and wellbeing challenges, such as childcare pressures and digital connectivity. Nevertheless, some office staff who switched to working remotely savoured this experience and discovered some guilty pleasures they now want to retain.
Aside from working in the nude, which is still far from mainstream, the majority of respondents benefitted from simply working in comfortable clothes: 66% got used to this lifestyle and would like to make it the norm in the future. Saying goodbye to long commutes also made employees happier as they could wake up five minutes before work started, while many also enjoyed taking a nap during the day (42%).
Continuing to discover the perks of the new normal, 32% of people enjoy working outside in the garden or on a balcony, and 33% even manage to binge-watch Netflix at work. Other treats favoured by employees include more time for video games (15%), takeaway lunches (18%) and showering less (10%).
However, this newfound open-mindedness not only leads to profits but also to a certain level of responsibility when it comes to digital security. Having reliable security solutions across our devices will be crucial in order to protect our individual privacy as we enjoy new ways of unwinding.
Marina Titova, Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky, said: “This lockdown turned out to be a two-way street for people whose job allows them to work from home. On the one hand, employees finally got a chance to forget about the downsides of big-city life and start working in a more comfortable atmosphere. On the other hand, they faced many challenges when struggling to remain productive, reorganizing their workspace and developing new habits. When you work from home your privacy is put at greater risk, making it vital that you remember to take care of your digital security.”
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To make sure your devices remain secure across both work and personal use, Kaspersky suggests following these recommendations:
- Do not share personal information or permit access to your accounts with third parties unless it is completely necessary. This will minimize the chances of it being found on the internet.
- Whether your prefer working naked or just value your privacy regardless, apply a webcam cover or use built-in webcam protection in Kaspersky Security Cloud (https://bit.ly/37CCDFq) which will prevent unauthorized access to your camera. This complete security solution makes your privacy, data and financial assets secured with a comprehensive set of tools, including a VPN, payment protection, password protection, PC cleaning, home Wi-Fi monitoring and parental control.
- Start using Privacy Checker (https://bit.ly/33VVyKC) to configure your social media profiles according to the level of privacy you prefer. This will make it harder for third parties to find highly sensitive personal information without your intent.
- Secure your Wi-Fi. As most routers have a default username and password, your router default credentials could be easily found on the internet. We recommend setting a new password and update the router’s firmware.
- Use a reliable security solution like Kaspersky Password Manager (https://bit.ly/3mUGLqN) to generate and secure unique passwords for every account, and resist the temptation to reuse the same one repeatedly.
The full report, ‘Securing the Future of Work’, can be found here (https://bit.ly/3lUkxE4).