Author: <span>Les Roberts</span>

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.

Guides & How-Tos Technology

The gyms and swimming pools are all closed because of the coronavirus lockdown, and while we can still get our for a daily run or a walk, that’s scant consolation for anyone who is used to going to the gym every week.

Thankfully, all is not lost and there is a whole range of exercises you can do at home, with or without any specialist equipment. But when is the best time to exercise? And should you do it all in one go or split your routine throughout the day?

Flexible working

Have you been a victim of cyber crime? If not, the chances are you will know someone who has – one-in-six adults have fallen foul of online fraudsters, according to a study from Experian, the global information services company.

Technology

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lock down means more and more of us will be working from home for the foreseeable future – but does this mean you need to take out additional business insurance? Or will your current home insurance policy cover you for everything you need?

Work from home

If you’ve ever been on a conference call, you’ll appreciate the importance of the ‘mute’ button – just because you can’t see the people on the other end of the call it doesn’t mean you can’t hear them, or that they can’t hear you.

And so the mute button comes in handy to mask everything from eating during a lunchtime conference call to an unavoidable coughing fit. It can also help to mask the myriad of other things you could be doing while on a conference call.

Conference calling

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?

Guides & How-Tos Work from home

‘There are more than 100 UK business operating out of Colombia, including giants like Virgin, BT, and Shell. The South American nation is ranked as the 34th easiest country to do business in by the World Bank, but ranks first in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The UK has the fifth largest export market in Latin America, and a new business can be set up there in as little as 11 days.

The trouble is, Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is over 5,000 miles away from the UK, which means commuting is out of the question if you’re doing business there. And so you’ll need a low-cost and value-for-money international conference call provider.

And a conference call can be set up in a few simple steps, here’s how…

Around the world Conference calling Guides & How-Tos

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.

Guides & How-Tos Work from home

Ever considered working from home? Not sure how to broach the subject with your boss? Or maybe you’re an employer wondering whether it’s something you can realistically offer employees? In any case, it’s almost Work From Home Week, which means now is the perfect time to find out whether telecommuting can work for you.

If you’re unsure about the benefits of working from home, you’re considering offering employees the opportunity, or even thinking of pulling existing work from home benefits, here’s why you should get involved in next week’s awareness campaign.

Small business Work from home

It’s Christmas Day in less than a week’s time- meaning the roads and railways will be packed with festive revellers and shoppers and will be no place for anyone travelling on business.

If you’re in any doubt as to just how rammed the railways will be, figures from Trainline reveal how this Christmas is set to be the busiest ever as 20,000 more passengers than last year have already booked their festive train tickets.

And then there’s ‘frantic Friday’ to contend with.

Thankfully, there are a couple of ways you can beat the Christmas travel chaos.

Conference calling Guides & How-Tos