According to a new report, landlords are increasingly prohibiting tenants from working at home.
Renters are clamping down on the remote work of employees and employers alike. This could be due to increased costs, insurance concerns, consideration for other tenants or neighbours, and/or increased cost.
Many businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs. They use hybrid or remote work structures.
While this will reduce overheads for employers, they may now have recruitment issues if candidates aren’t allowed to work at home.
The nature of your business will determine how you handle this situation.
If the employee is handling sensitive data, such as client or business information, then working in an open area could expose the business to risk.
As they are more vulnerable to phishing, public data networks pose a greater risk to your personal information. Hackers could use this information to demand ransom.
Hackers have posed a huge risk to the public. A data hack was conducted on the Northern Irish Police force, and, more recently, Ticketmaster. Customers were warned to be vigilant about identity theft. Businesses should be aware of the seriousness of this issue.
It is also a nuisance to be distracted by others when you are working in a public place. A distracting environment may lead to a reduction in quality and output.
Some businesses offer a shared office space if they do not have a corporate headquarters. Employees can choose between a personal and professional working space. Data protection is not an issue.
A privacy screen ensures that confidential information can only be viewed by the intended recipient. No one else will see it. Employers should also advise their staff not to join any public networks that may expose the business to phishing.
The employer should remind the employee that they are responsible for protecting company data and equipment if they work in a public place. Employees should not leave equipment unattended, or share it with others. This could put the company in danger.
Both the employee and the employer can find it frustrating when remote work is prohibited. However, they must come up with a solution to the problem.
If someone is unable to perform their work, then the employer has every right to terminate that person’s contract.
