There’s no denying that there are fewer ways that can get you fired than doing what looks to be a harmless personal task.
Spending eight hours or more at the office every day can be challenging as you can easily get around getting some other things done. For instance, making and attending appointments, running errands, keeping up with your family and friends, and several others.
Therefore, chances are that you’ll make some personal calls as well as conduct some personal online business while at work.
Unfortunately, those are the things that can offend your seniors and get you fired. Apparently, you don’t want to be fired, right?
Besides, nobody does!
Therefore, if you want to still send your resume to a different company while at your current work, this is the article for you.
Here are some of the tips to protect your privacy while working;
Go Through Your Company’s Privacy Policy
Usually, most companies have a privacy policy, and depending on your location, it might be illegal to track employee activity.
Therefore, your first assignment is to ensure that you’re familiar with your company’s privacy policy. You should be aware of what the company monitors. For instance, your computer could be monitored, think about your browsing history.
Some companies install programs to follow and upload employee activity in real-time. The reason is merely to prevent data leaks whereby sensitive data is leaked to third parties. Therefore, knowing the company policies will help you use your computer or company network with caution.
Go Incognito and Avoid Saving Passwords
Computers and internet privacy go hand-in-hand today in this digital era. One of the best ways to stay private at work is to keep away from logging into your personal accounts. However, if you must, then you should learn never to save your passwords or even allow cookies.
Moreover, nowadays, some browsers like Firefox, Google Chrome, and others offer a private browsing mode, usually known as ‘incognito mode’ that won’t save your internet browsing history, cookies, or passwords on your device.
Therefore, those are the browsers that you should make use of and all the time let not anyone know what you’ve been up to on your computer.
Put a Barrier Behind You
As much as you should be wary of what takes place in your personal computer at work, you also need to worry about the physical environment.
Noisy workers might be stretching their necks to try and see what’s on your screen. Therefore, to put off such folks, you need to have a physical wall behind you.
Furthermore, you should consider dimming the screen brightness of your device, to prevent any easy reflections on other things such as glasses.
Don’t Leave Your Computer Open When Away
First, your computer should have a strong password to open. Therefore, you should ensure that you don’t make things easier for intruders to access your computer once you step out. Always ensure that you lock your computer screen every time you step away.
Ideally, it’s a no-brainer! Unfortunately, most folks leave their devices unattended and if you haven’t locked them; then it’s very easy to access all your information, or even install the malware in them that will later be used to spy on you.
Make Use of a Privacy Filter
You just need to be clever at work! A privacy filter is merely an extra screen that covers the top of your computer to deceive the on-lookers. Ideally, it makes your screen look black whenever an individual stares at it from an angle; however, when staring at it normally, everything is clear.
Therefore, with such a tool, you’re sure that whoever looks at it from a distance has no chance of seeing whatever you’re doing on the screen.
Turn on 2FA
Once you open your email on that work computer, the chances are that your password might be leaked. Therefore, you should use two-factor authentication on every account you’re using. That way, even if your password is stolen, one might not be able to access your accounts.
Nonetheless, there are several ways that you can use to protect your security at work. For instance, you can also hang out with the company’s IT guys. They can provide insights into what they’re capable of, and what they can’t monitor. If there’s nothing important that you need to attend to, then it’s a good idea to abide by the company rules, but still, with these tips, you can sneak your head out.