For the most part, working from home is every commuter’s dream. No wasted time sitting in traffic, zero rushing around trying to get to the office on time and far more flexibility.
While the global pandemic has led to more employees than ever working remotely, the long list of advantages of WFH does come with a downside.
Namely a lack of departmental support. Not having a dedicated IT team just down the corridor can make typically easy to fix problems more difficult than when a support team is on speed dial.
As more of us than ever are now working from home, here are four common problems that have an easy technical fix that we can give you today!
Distractions
While working from home is generally more comfortable, it can often be at the detriment of productivity.
The house needs cleaning, personal appointments can be made during the day, and of course the hardest one of all to resist…just one more episode of the Netflix binge!
Regardless of how self-motivated you are, there are always going to be days where you just can’t get yourself to the computer to tick things off the never-ending to-do list.
Technical fix: Productivity apps
With mobile technology quite literally at everyone’s fingertips these days, mobile apps designed to encourage productivity can be critical when working from home. Apps such as Asana, Insightly and Monday are available on a subscription model (there’s usually a free version), and allow you to create to-do lists, view calendars and keep projects on track.
Lack of collaboration among a team
When working from a home office, it’s easy to feel disjointed from the rest of the team and miss out on important brainstorming and conversations which can impact results.
Technical fix: Choose electronic collaboration tools to keep conversations flowing. Slack, Google Hangouts and video calling options such as Zoom are easily accessible and allow teams to continue group conversations from separate locations.
In our digital age, there’s no reason for anyone to feel as though they’re not part of their team or that they’re missing out on opportunities purely because of distance.
Slow internet
Without the company servers and infrastructure to fall back on, home internet for work purposes can lead to productivity issues. Slow upload speeds, failure to send large files and lagging video technology can easily lead to a failure to do the job properly.
Technical fix: Check your modem, router and WIFI configuration to make sure you have the most appropriate equipment for your work needs. If the internet speed is still not fast enough, make sure your data allowance is sufficient. If you’re consistently meeting or exceeding your allowance, the result will almost always be a slower connection, or the service cut off completely.
Security issues
While company laptops and computers should have appropriate security software installed, equipment not on the company network can be a little more difficult to police.
If you have a virus or malware, this might present as an unexplainable slow performance, lots of pop-ups or any changes that happen quickly without explanation.
Technical fix: A range of free malware programs such as AVG and Avia are available which allow you to scan the computer to identify and remove any spyware or malicious programs. If you still experience problems or are concerned about any breaches in security, we always recommend consulting with a professional.
Having an IT team at your disposal is something those who work from home don’t always have the luxury of. Buzz A Geek is a mobile IT service provider delivering at-home IT solutions directly to your door!
Whether you’re running your own business or working from home because of the pandemic, we provide an Australia wide IT service no matter how big or small the problem. From connectivity issues and security to hardware and equipment problems, there’s no problem too big or too small for Buzz A Geek.
To find out more contact us today.
