The Importance Of Tech You Can Count On

Teleworking has become far more common in the last few years out of necessity. Not much businesses can do when people cannot work from the office. Unfortunately, companies without the existing infrastructure available to easily allow for telework suddenly found themselves with a large expense they had to cover to continue doing business. This resulted in many businesses cutting some corners when it came to the take-home tech package for their employees, and many employees found themselves with a package that only works some of the time.

Purely from a business standpoint, this results in lost productivity, IT support lines getting clogged with users who have issues, potentially resulting in the need to hire more IT support consultants, and the potential to replace failing hardware much sooner than anticipated. It’s a lot of extra investment in many ways that costs the company so much more in the long run.

This, however, is not particularly helpful to you, my faithful blog reader. Sure, you might be able to pitch your company on the importance of good tech, but there is certainly no guarantee that they will listen, and it’s possible that you will just have to survive with the package that you have been given. Of course, no matter where you work, there will always be something within your control to improve your environment.

Here are a few ways that you could improve your at-home tech situation!

1. Internet

No matter who you work for, a strong internet connection is always in your control. I cannot express enough how frustrating it is as someone who uses a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, when your spotty internet connection causes it to drop every few minutes. This may not sound like much, but when everything you’re doing requires a VPN to function, doing a 20-second reconnect every couple of minutes gets tiring very quickly.

In this day and age, a solid internet connection is a necessity for any tech position with a hybrid or full telework arrangement. Something that you can do right now to improve your situation is to set up a wired connection, since it will always be more reliable than using a connection over the air. Sure, it makes your workstation less mobile, but ideally you should have a dedicated place to work. And since you will be in one place…

2. Ergonomics

Tech doesn’t always require a plug! Counting on your chair to not break is just as important as having a functional computer. If you use a kitchen stool or a cheap chair you got because it was a good price, chances are it’s not going to last you a long time, and you will either find yourself with a chair that is a pain to sit on, or one that is literally painful to sit on. Investing in a good solid chair is important to ensure that you are at your best when working at your desk.

It’s not just chairs! Desks, keyboards, mice, they all matter when it comes to ergonomics. Many workplaces also offer ergonomic assessments to ensure that you are properly set up and able to work effectively. It’s an extremely important piece of your daily work and should not be overlooked. Trust me, your body will thank you later!

3. Cables

One thing that many people overlook when it comes to determining if your workstation is reliable or not is if you may actually have an issue with cabling. To be fair, many cables will stand the test of time, considering the fact that they will more than likely just be sitting at your desk, moving very little to not at all. In some instances though, cables can be shipped to you fairly loose or have factory defects, and that sporadic and seemingly random disconnecting might be the result of a loose or otherwise troublesome cable.

For those with pets, be sure to check your cables periodically to ensure that your pets haven’t chewed on them. Although this doesn’t always cause reliability issues, it can be extremely hazardous to both you and your pet. Frayed cables should be replaced immediately!

Have you done anything to make your workstation work better for you? What efficiencies and improvements have you made?