Workplaces have remote security concerns

Cybersecurity concerns are causing organisations to question their tools with teams working remotely. Two thirds of respondents to a Cisco survey said that more than half of their workforce was working remotely, but 85% say that cybersecurity is a bigger concern than ever. Remote collaboration tools like RosyBoa help to allay security concerns with encryption and strong password management.  

Introducing the ‘hybrid’ remote-working model

As more of us continue to work from home, organisations are now implementing a new model: the ‘hybrid’ working model. Large corporates such as Siemens have taken to the new way of running things, enforcing remote working policies that allow workers to be flexible about when they work from home, and when they work in the office. In the UK, managers at the Royal Bank of Scotland, for example, are allowing staff to work from home for extended periods.

CEO shares tips on managing a team remotely

The co-founder and CEO of Share Scheme platform Vestd is sharing his tips on how to manage teams from afar. In addition to using time-saving collaboration tools like RosyBoa, Ifty Nasir suggests working on building relationships with workers. We can do this by keeping in regular contact, and allowing people to express themselves freely in meetings. Nasir adds that appropriate documentation can better outline remote working processes.  

US freelancers strike up government debate

Workers in the US were shocked to discover that government aid appears to have been ‘more generous’ for freelancers than for the full-time employed. In the lead-up to the election, however, some freelancers are expressing their fear that Joe Biden may ‘put them out of work’ due to changes in employment law, such as California’s AB-5 law. The US elections take place on 3rd November.  

Creative freelancers benefit from government help

Freelancers in Wales are taking advantage of a government grant of up to £2,500. The grant, which has been set up to support the creative and cultural industries, opened its applications on 8th October. The move will come as a welcome change to UK creatives, who were recently incensed by a government campaign to ‘rethink, retrain and reboot’. The now famed ‘Fatima’ has become a meme for creatives across the UK.

‘Rule of 6’ shaking up workplace confidence

September saw the start of many furloughed or home working employees returning to the office, in line with a national winding down of the furlough scheme. But the new ‘rule of 6’ guidelines, restricting social gatherings at home to no more than 6 people, are causing tensions around the workplace. Angela Love, director at Active Workplace Solutions, says: “How can I tell my people it is safe to come to work when the government tells them they cannot mix with family and friends?” Others say the rules might bring more clarity, but many are concerned about office hygiene practices.  

One in four freelancers facing mental health issues

A new study has revealed that mental health issues in freelancers have increased by 300 per cent since the start of the pandemic. According to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, 26 per cent of freelancers say they had “poor” or “very poor” mental health. They blamed stress, anxiety and sleep loss for the changes. Experts are now suggesting co-working spaces could be the answer.

Remote working is not the answer – Netflix

The chairman of Netflix has denounced remote working, saying that working from home has no positive effects and “makes debating harder”. While the government continues to encourage us to return to the office, Chairman Reed Hastings says he predicts that employees will want to work from home for at least one day a week. “Not being able to get together in person, particularly internationally, is a pure negative,” Mr Hastings told the Wall Street Journal.  

IT questions your staff should be asking

IT teams are being advised to ask themselves a set of questions to continue adapting to a remote working setup. According to IT Pro Portal, they should be questioning whether or not they have a remote collaboration friendly application stack, like RosyBoa. They should also agree to use one platform only, and measure feature level engagement data to ensure they are getting the best from their user licences.  

Collaboration works better in the office, says Google

Akin to fellow tech giant Netflix, Google’s chief operation officer of real estate investment and development is also keen to encourage face to face collaboration. Mark Golan said: “In the act of creating a new product, the ‘figuring out’ part is very messy and requires input from a lot of different people.” Only by using visual tools with one ongoing communication stream like RosyBoa can all collaborators keep abreast of new projects.