The right office helps your team feel comfortable, relaxed and, most importantly, gives them a secure space to work to the best of their abilities.
The modern, tech-savvy office worker probably has a better set up at home than at work, one that is prepared to deal with both the physical demands of office work and the cybersecurity issues online businesses face.
So, how can you appeal to their personal needs and make them look forward to coming to the office every day, especially after they’ve just spent a few months away from it under lockdown?
Ensure a safe and secure environment
When we talk about modern offices we shouldn’t just talk about the physical space where people work, but the business as a whole.
Achieving safety and security for your staff is one of the most important parts of being a business owner. In 2020, bosses don’t just have to be concerned with profit margins and efficiency, but the wellbeing of their staff and business as a whole.
The coronavirus has been both a blessing and a curse for businesses concerned about cybercrime. While it has exposed office staff around the world to new methods of staying safe while they work remotely, such as ensuring VPNs are active and securing sensitive files while working on unsecured connections, it has also given birth to new types of cybercrime.
Fake domain names promising vital virus news updates and imitation Zoom invite emails designed to trick people into providing sensitive login information have become hallmarks of the lockdown cyber-criminal. Even if you’ve made your team aware of such concerns and had a strategy in place early, it does show that thieves are adapting to their situation and have developed new methodologies they will likely adapt to target workforces returning to offices in the imminent future.
To create a great, safe modern office environment you need to understand that your team knows more about cyber safety than you might expect (especially after lockdown) and that they’ll want to know their details are secure.
Employees provide a lot of personal information to businesses and will regularly log into a personal account during lunch breaks. They need to know their bank details, contact information, and addresses are some of the most securely protected pieces of data in the business.
Appeal to their knowledge and experience
The days of starting an office job blind to the basics of a computer are over. You cannot assume your staff don’t understand what they’re using, or how to protect it, and think you can get away with less than impressive equipment that doesn’t accommodate their needs.
Getting back into the office is one of the main topics on everyone’s mind. After months of working awkwardly at kitchen tables and trying to fit huge units into small rented rooms, your teams are less likely to settle for cramped offices full of mystery wires (a portable hard drive dock station can help solve this problem) and convoluted systems (it’s time to ditch physical files.)
Offices are less about the physical space people work it and more an overall view of the business. These key protective elements need to be ingrained in your team’s processes. Appealing to personal experience and knowledge allows your team to be the most efficient they can be. Sacrificing efficiency for the sake of tradition is the antithesis of what the modern office should want to achieve.
Don’t forget comfort
Having the right tools to do the best job is important for any office environment, but making sure your team is comfortable and healthy is just as essential. The pandemic has taught us a lot about health and looking after employee wellbeing. Without going into social distancing and PPE measures, there are numerous things you can do to improve the long term comfort of your team.
Beyond back support and duel screens, comfort is also a mental state. Knowing they’re working in a secure environment is key to protecting the mental wellbeing of your team. This isn’t just a physical security issue, but once again, a cyber one.
Also take advantage of the number of resources out there designed to help cybersecurity awareness stick become part of the everyday working routine. All of these are the key factors that keep a successful workforce moving.
The idea of the perfect modern office is ever-changing. Tech is evolving, and issues such as the coronavirus pandemic are forcing us to adapt and re-think what we perceive as a great work environment safe from the threat of cyber-attacks.