3 Essential Tech Investments to Improve Your Work-From-Home Efficiency
With the trend of telework increasing even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers who didn’t have that luxury looked at family, friends, and colleagues enviously as they started setting up home offices.
As the ongoing pandemic trudged along, though, many of those same people began working remotely and if given a choice, would not return to the office. Employers see the benefits, too. In particular, many companies report that employees are happier and more efficient in their day-to-day work. The cost-savings of no longer being in an office setting cannot be overstated, either.
Of course, there are still challenges regarding communication and collaboration barriers, as well as distractions at home. But, all in all, it seems remote work is here to stay. In fact, 85% of managers believe it’s the new normal, even as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease.
Three Essential Tech Tools
With all this in mind, here are three tech tools that will directly enhance your and your teams’ ability to work from home.
1. Project and Task Management Tools
Rather than plastering sticky notes on your desk or the edge of your monitor screen, using one or more project and task management tools can make your and your colleagues’ lives much easier. Whether you work within a team or on your own, tools like Asana, Monday, Slack, and Trello allow you to keep track of your work, set goals, collaborate with your team, and manage deadlines. Project and task management tools also allow for more effective communication regarding specific tasks and are the backbone to effectively working from home.
2. Wi-Fi Extender
Another essential part of working efficiently at home is the ability to work anywhere within your home. Whether your Wi-Fi signal isn’t as strong as it should be in your home office or you think working on your laptop away from your desk might be more effective on a certain day, using a Wi-Fi extender for these moments is a gamechanger. While a Wi-Fi extender may not be something you always want on, having one is an effective quick fix to improving Wi-Fi dead zones in your home.
3. Malware Scanner
An often-overlooked aspect of working from home is computer and online security. In fact, in a new Tessian survey, 56% of IT leaders believe their employees have picked up poor cybersecurity behaviors since working from home. Additionally, more than two-thirds said ransomware attacks will be a greater concern in a hybrid workplace.
With that in mind, the most critical piece of technology to add to your home office may be one that improves your security. In particular, an easy-to-install website malware scanner can instantly beef up your home office’s protection. Malware scanners are an excellent way to keep your data private and secure, as they constantly scan your computer and notify you if any malware or viruses are found.
Improving Your At-Home Work Efficiency Can Be Easy
As more and more people settle into life as telecommuters, remember that everyone’s needs are different and should be recognized. Then again, some of us face the same unique challenges, and having solid and dependable technology tools at your disposal can help make remote work easier and more enjoyable. Ultimately, improving your at-home work efficiency is essential to being a productive employee and running a successful business.
