If you’re thinking of starting up a new business, you’ll quickly realise how difficult a balancing act it is to stick to a budget while making sure you have all the tools to ensure you can properly do your job.
The dizzying amount of business tech available means you could quite easily blow all your money on any number of hands-free add-ons and pentium-powered peripheries.
So, if you’re just starting out, or you’re looking to upgrade your systems, here are our seven top business tech tips…
The number of spam emails getting sent has hit a 12-year low, according to security firm Symantec, which said fewer than 50% of emails which it scanned during June were junk – the lowest percentage it had seen in over a decade.
Even so, many of us are still getting loads of emails we don’t want and, to the best of our knowledge, haven’t asked for!
So if you’re getting spam emails, how do you stop them? Read on…
Every time you interact online you’re adding to your digital footprint – that virtual record of what you did, who you did it with, and when you did it.
Whether you’re buying something from a web store, checking your bank balance, updating a social status, or even just typing a question into a search engine or leaving a comment on a blog (all comments welcome below), your digital footprint is affected.
What this means is anyone can track your digital footprint and make fairly accurate assumptions on your lifestyle – anyone who has the knowledge and the inclination, that is.
And although most of us won’t have a back-story worth bothering with, not to mention nothing to hide, it’s still a little disconcerting to think someone could tap into your lifestyle should they wish to.
It’s all but impossible to completely cover your online tracks, but if you want to give it a go, here are some of the steps you could take to try and disappear completely…
The internet offers an instant and limitless well of information – it’s made life a whole lot easier for all of us!
On the flipside, it provides a limitless number of distractions – one minute you’re researching the best way to make an international conference call, then next minute you’re watching a gif of a grumpy cat, and before you know it six hours have passed and you’ve not done a thing on your to-do list.
And that’s before we get started on social media!
So if you’re working day suffers from fatal distractions, here’s how to stop wasting time…
As the UK creeps out of lockdown, so more and more people are getting back to work – some going back to the office after weeks of working from home, others coming back after being away from work as part of the government’s furlough scheme.
And even more will be getting back to business in the coming weeks, as changes to the furlough scheme are set to kick in by September and business owners have been offered a £1,000 per-employee bonus for each staff member they bring back from furlough. Then there are the people who lost their job and are looking to get back into a new job.
But lockdown will have impacted each of us in different ways, especially if it’s been spent completely away from work. So it’s vital you get yourself set for returning. Here’s how to get back to work…
The coronavirus lockdown has revealed many things about they ways in which we work, while some have seamlessly adapted to the work from home life, others are struggling to cope without the day-to-day interactions of office-life.
And given that we all have to hold meetings remotely now, it’s also thrown up the following question – Why do some people find starting a conference call so difficult?
It should like any other meeting or telephone call, a quick introduction before launching into the main topics up for discussion, but instead we have stilted greetings, multiple introductions and excruciating silences.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to start a conference call, the following set of dos and don’ts will help you out…
Could you manage a remote team? The coronavirus crisis has seen an increasing number of businesses offering employees the chance to work from home, as much out of necessity to help stop the spread of the virus as anything.
But now that these employees have been given the chance to work from home, it’s a perk that many will want to keep in place long after we’ve all returned to our offices and workplaces in one capacity or another – especially if it’s proven to be a success.
Would your business be able to handle a remote workforce in the long term?
The first Thursday in May is World Password Day, dedicated to highlighting the importance of having secure passwords and making cyber security a priority.
With so many of us now working remotely due to the coronavirus, cyber security needs to be front of mind for all business owners and employees, especially those using their own devices for work purposes.
Here’s all you need to know about World Password Day and how to create a secure password to stay safe online.
If you work from home you most likely have the relative luxury to go about your business wearing whatever you feel comfortable in – no need for a suit and tie if you’re not in the mood, no need to even get dressed if you don’t feel like it.
As appealing as answering business calls in the buff may sound though, it’s not ideal for productivity – clothes that negatively effect your social standing or self esteem will have the same effect on your productivity.
While you may feel comfy slouching around in your pyjamas, you’ll not be taking care of business to the best of your ability.
So what should your work from home wardrobe look like?
January seems like the ideal month to work from home – dark mornings, dark nights, cold busy commutes – who wouldn’t want to avoid all that?!
But when you work from home, it can be all too easy to blur the lines between work-life and home-life, which can not only kill productivity, but can also make you feel like you never get a break from work.
So here are five top tips to separate business and pleasure.