Tips on Managing Confidential Documents While Working from Home
The coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the globe and most countries remain in various stages of a complete or partial lockdown. Businesses carry on remote operations and many of us continue to work from home. If your business or employer has a formal remote working policy, you may already have some guidance on information management protocols in a work-from-home environment. However, most others have moved into this arrangement at short notice, without adequate training or preparation. Hence, it is important to learn the risks involved, and follow best practices for safeguarding your physical and digital records while working from home.
The data destruction specialists at TITAN Mobile Shredding offer some useful suggestions to keep your home office safe and secure.
Top Tips to Protect Your Confidential Documents in a Remote Working Environment
Working from home comes with its own set of challenges. The internet may be sketchy at times, the seating may not be ergonomic, the dining table may be doubling up as a makeshift desk, and restless kids and pets may be bouncing in the background during your work calls. In the midst of all these distractions, how do you keep your confidential documents safe? Can you protect your documents from being lost, stolen, stained, or accidentally damaged, especially if you do not have a private or secure office space at home?
Treat your home workspace as you would your office. Maintain a clean desk approach by following the three Ps:
- Plan: At the beginning of your work day, bring out only those documents that you need for that day. File and store all the other records safely. Strewing papers across the desk may not only make you less productive, but also contribute to loss of sensitive or confidential business records.
- Protect: An antsy child or a curious pet could stain or rip your important documents, or even scribble on them and make them illegible. If you need to step away from your workspace to run errands, or do other chores around the home, gather your critical papers, and place them in a file or folder, away from the reach of kids and pets.
- Pick Up: When you wrap up for the day, put all your documents back into the file or folder and place them in a secure spot, preferably under lock and key. This will help you keep your work area clean and organized and safeguard your business records from potential loss or damage.
Besides storing your documents safely, it is also critical to stay cyber secure in order to protect yourself from scams, fraud, and identity theft. When your physical records become obsolete (including personal documents), start collecting them into a ‘shred’ box or collect them in a secure cabinet, bag, or bin. Depending on the facilities available in your neighborhood, drop off your documents at a shredding facility, call for a residential paper shredding service, or hold on to the documents until you have the option to return to your workplace.
At TITAN Mobile Shredding, we offer drop-off shredding services, residential shredding services, as well as monthly community shredding events at various locations across Montgomery and Bucks County. Whether you choose our home pick-up services, bring your shred pile to our drop-off points, or attend one of our community events, our professional shredding services will ensure that any sensitive or confidential business information does not fall into the wrong hands.
For secure destruction of confidential physical records, rely on a NAID AAA Certified company, such as TITAN Mobile Shredding. Call (866) 848-2699 or contact us online to explore our residential services.
