COVID 19 – Returning to work

COVID 19 – Returning to work

Whether you thrive on working in an energetic and collaborative workplace day in or day out or you prefer the peace and quiet of working from home, going back to work in an office setting after some time away can be overwhelming. It can be easy to slip into a slower pace of life during lockdown and many people are probably out of sync with their usual routine. With COVID 19 – Returning to work, Trying to figure out how things have changed since you’ve been away can be quite a process. Plus you have to deal with the stress of getting used to a totally different work environment. 

Many people feel confused, worried and apprehensive about going back to the workplace. Organisations will be considering a range of adjustments to the way work is done, to comply with government recommendations. These adjustments will depend on your job and your individual circumstances. Everyone’s situation is unique. However, as you approach your return to work, there are some general principles that will give you the best chance of getting back to work and staying mentally healthy over the coming months.

COVID 19 – Returning to work: The basics of staying safe

Most of you will know the general precautions of keeping safe from the virus but heres a recap to keep in mind when return.

1. Wash your hands frequently;
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth;
3. Avoid eating raw meat and unnecessary contact with wild animals (even if it’s a cute bunny);
4. Avoid close contact with anyone with flu-like symptoms;
5. If you develop a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, seek medical care early;
6. Take particular precaution while travelling.

COVID 19 – Returning to work: Prepare for the new normal

It is important to realise that your office or workplace may not function in the same way before you went on furlough. There will be new procedures and policies to follow in order to keep you, your colleagues and customers safe. There may also be some physical changes to your working environment such as desk moves, screens and posters in place.

COVID 19 – Returning to work: Third parties/customers.

Assess the risks around third parties entering the workplace, and remember you have an obligation to ensure their health and safety too. In a retail environment, should customers be asked to hand-sanitise on entry? In the office environment, are third-party in-person meetings really needed? Will there be agreed protocols around this (e.g. hygiene requirements, travel suggestions, no hand-shaking)? Consider appropriate protocols for deliveries and collections.

COVID 19 – Returning to work: First aiders/fire marshals.

If your building is to reopen, is there a requirement for appropriately trained first-aid and fire marshals to be present? It might be advisable to arrange online training for staff now, to ensure adequate cover and thereby compliance. Does the building or facilities manager always need to be there?

COVID 19 – Returning to work: Have a return-to-work conversation with your line manager

This is a chance to identify your work priorities and raise any concerns or questions that you have. Things don’t always come out right first time, so if you have something important you want to talk about, try practicing the conversation with a friend, colleague or family member. This will give you the best chance of getting your thoughts across.

 

Take things one step at a time

The way we all work is likely to keep changing in the coming weeks so we will need to keep adjusting. Don’t expect everything to quickly return to normal. We have a long journey ahead. We may not be able to go back to our old ways of working for some time – and if we are lucky, this could give us an opportunity to do things differently, and better. Look out for yourself, look out for others and take each day and week at a time. For more tips visit Totality services advice page on going back to work here.

The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do!

To find out more about how Coronavirus (COVID-9) please watch the video provided below.

In December 2019 the Chinese authorities notified the world that a virus was spreading through their communities. In the following months it spread to other countries, with cases doubling within days. This virus is the “Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2”, that causes the disease called COVID19, and that everyone simply calls Coronavirus. What actually happens when it infects a human and what should we all do?

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Protecting from computer hardware failures

Protecting from computer hardware failures

Introduction

Physically protecting a computer presents many of the same problems that arise when protecting typewriters, jewelry, and file cabinets. Like a typewriter, an office computer is something that many people inside the office need to access on an ongoing basis. Like jewelry, computers are very valuable and very easy for a thief to sell. But the real danger in having a computer stolen isn’t the loss of the system’s hardware but the value of the loss of the data that was stored on the computer’s disks. As with legal files and financial records, if you don’t have a backup – or if the backup is stolen with the computer – the data you have lost may well be irreplaceable. This blog post will give you tips and tricks on how to protect your computer from hardware failures.

Invest in a UPS

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system supplies your computers with emergency power that lasts long enough for users to save their work and shut down safely after their office has lost electricity. It not only keeps your machines from unexpected shutdowns, but it also safeguards against the electrical surges, spikes, and dips that come from other issues not related to all-out power failures.

Regularly-Scheduled Maintenance

Computers hardware failures happen more often in poorly ventilated or dusty areas. Your desktop and laptop computers are made of delicate components, and excessive heat affects their performance and can cause irreparable damage. This is why they’re built with fans that keep them at ideal temperatures. Regularly cleaning your computers’ fans keeps them from overheating and helps them last longer.

Back up your data

Computer hardware failures happen to even the most vigilant among us. That’s why – if you want to keep your business running smoothly– you must back up mission-critical data early and often. It’s a good idea to back up your data to multiple places. That means backing up to a local server, for speedy recovery, and also to the cloud, so the data is safely stored offsite in case your office falls victim to disaster. A best practice is to schedule backups during off hours when there’s plenty of bandwidth available.

Know When It’s Time to Replace

Desktop PCs, laptops, and other hardware have varying lifecycles. As a business owner, you might be putting off replacing them until they’re completely obsolete, but this is a mistake.

Vibration

Vibration can put an early end to your computer system by literally shaking it apart. Even gentle vibration, over time, can work printed circuit boards out of their edge connectors, and integrated circuits out of their sockets. Vibration can cause hard disk drives to come out of alignment and increase the chance for catastrophic computer hardware failures – and resulting data loss. Here are some guidelines for vibration control: Isolate your computer from vibration as much as possible. If you are in a high-vibration environment, you can place your computer on a rubber or foam mat to dampen out vibrations reaching it, but make sure that the mat does not block ventilation openings. Laptop computers are frequently equipped with hard disks that are better at resisting vibration than are desktop machines Don’t put your printer on top of a computer. Printers are mechanical devices; they generate vibrations.

 

How can Estio Training help with your Software Testing

To learn more about how Estio can support your business with developing Cyber Security skills, please take a look at our Software Tester  apprenticeship. To read more industry insights please take a closer look at our articles relating to the Software Tester industry

How to Test Your Computer Hardware Using PC Hardware Diagnostics

Check out HP Video on how they use their PC software to prevent hardware failures.
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone everywhere — every person, every organization, and every community around the globe. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze.
Learn how to test your HP computer hardware using the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI.

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