HOME OFFICE SAFETY AND SECURITY WEEK
During the second full week in January, Home Office Safety and Security Week at-home workers are encouraged to analyze the safety of their work environment.
Recent statistics show that 43% of Americans work from home on occasion. According to U.S. Census data, 5.2% of Americans work entirely from home. This means that 8 million workers in the country work from home. Many of these at-home workers have an office inside their house.
The benefits of working from home add up. Some of these benefits include:
- Schedules tend to be more flexible.
- Many wear cozy clothes and even pajamas while working.
- Fewer office distractions like noisiness and gossip increase productivity.
- No commuting required.
- With no commute, they spend more time with loved ones.
- In a home office, the worker controls their own indoor temperature, so it’s never too cold or too warm.
- They can customize their workspace.
People who work from home also save money. They don’t have to pay for gas, that expensive latte on the way to work, or eating out for lunch. Additionally, their business clothing budget is smaller, including fewer dry cleaning trips.
Of course, there are some disadvantages as well. For instance, those who work from home are responsible for their own safety and security. They need to come up with things like a fire escape plan and installing their own smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Other ways to make sure the home office is safe is making sure it’s childproof and ensuring the electrical system can handle the demand of all the electronics. At-home workers should always keep their office clutter-free to avoid trip hazards. Relevant paperwork should be filed in fire-proof file cabinets.
From a technological standpoint, anti-virus and firewall software should be up to date. Data should be backed up and stored in password-protected files.
HOW TO OBSERVE #HomeOfficeSafetyAndSecurityWeek
If you work from home, the best way to observe this week is to take an inventory of your office space. How can the home office be a safer place to work? What can be done to ensure electronic files are secure? Are the office and all the equipment protected by insurance? Maybe it’s time to buy a shredder so that important information isn’t stolen.
Even those who don’t work from home should evaluate their security and storage measures. Take this week as an opportunity to update your online protections, shred old documents, and maintain an organized home office.
Since it’s the beginning of the year, this week is a great time to set some home office safety and security goals. To spread awareness, share this week on social media with #HomeOfficeSafetyAndSecurityWeek
HOME OFFICE SAFETY AND SECURITY WEEK HISTORY
National Day Calendar was unable to identify the founder of this observance.