Protect yourself online at work

These days, everyone is online. Even your strict boss who looks like they do nothing but work may have their own social media profiles. Social media is very accessible and it can be easy for you to look at your officemates' profiles. In turn, they can also look you up online.

On the other hand, there are times when the frustration at work has become too much and you just want to let it all out. You want to type your frustrations away! Sure, that isn't the same as standing up to the people who irritate you at work, but we know it could be satisfying some times. 

Still, even though your social media profile is your safe space, you never know who's looking at it. With this comes the need for making sure you're as professional at work as you are online. And it doesn't matter if you're not friends or if you're not following your officemates -- you'll never know when they could be looking at your profile. Worst case scenario? You do something rash and it gets brought up at the higher-ups or HR at work.

We've listed down some of the things you need to take note when surfing the internet at work, or even when you're really tempted to do personal stuff online while at work! 

This is the cardinal rule when you want to complain to your online friends or followers. Did this boss reject your presentation again? Did this annoying officemate dump their workload on you again? Was there a promotion that you're a hundred percent sure wasn't deserved?

It's too tempting to type out their names on your status or tweets, or even to just mention "that evil lady who's had it out for you ever since they came back to the company as a manager". You might think you're being vague but it could be easy for someone to realize whom you're referring to. 

If you want to rant, you can simply say you had a bad or long day. No need to mention the people who made it all possible.

Sure, you may also think your profile is set to private or none of your followers are your workmates, but you're never really sure. Even your previous posts could get dug up and this could bring you some serious problems.

Each office or workplace has their own definition of 'confidential'. It can be certain files, social media accounts, a list of clients, or it can be a simple printout you have on your desk.

Make sure to blur these out when you took a selfie that includes those. Or rather, just don't post photos of these things. You might think your profile is set to private but, as mentioned, you never know who's seeing your profile.

Being careless with these types of things can cause major problems at work, or worse, it can even cause you your job. Always be careful, think twice or thrice before posting anything.

No matter how much you love your job, you still need to take a break or do something else!(Don't worry! You've earned it -- because you finished the work ahead of time!)Thus, It's okay to do a couple of personal stuff online in your free time. Personal stuff includes browsing through photos, reading up on your favourite blogs, or just watching interesting videos.

But there is always a time and place for everything! Don't tell yourself you'll go on Facebook first before working on the report that isn't due till next month. Don't exchange DMs with your Twitter friends before starting with that research assigned to you. And don't watch your friends' Instagram stories before finalizing that sheet they need for this afternoon's presentation.

As mentioned, finish your work before browsing personal stuff online!

On another note, it would be rude (and stupid!) to browse your personal social media accounts if your boss is right beside you. Even if you're done with your tasks, it would be disrespectful to your manager or your supervisor if you were busy scrolling down Pinterest while they were nearby and in plain view of your computer.

It's another matter entirely if you're on social media for work stuff. In that case, feel free to do so. Just make sure your priority is your task bucket!

It is best to respect their rights to privacy -- offline as well as ONLINE! Stalking someone, bullying, harassing, tormenting online is legit abusive! In the same way, you wouldn't want to bug your office mate online. Refrain from staring or touching their personal computer and don't act as if you're the online police at work. You have no right to make a big deal out of every online update posted by other people especially when there are a lot of judging eyes and open ears. This applies to your close work friends or those whom you don't really interact with. Sure, some bosses might appreciate that but it might be odd and off-putting if you were to get promoted or credited because of this little hobby of yours. (Unless your job designation is literally Online Police or something. 😜) It's also nice to review the golden rule - "Don't do unto others what you don't want done unto you". You may not see it clearly and immediately, but this will have an effect on your relationship with your colleagues and bosses. Nobody likes to feel that somebody's watching our every move, even when we're not doing anything wrong.  Or just think of it this way -- you're not getting paid to act as a police, so why bother? There are other professionals who can take care of that! There are professional who are actually tasked to do that. Unless someone is doing something unethical or against the books, that's when you know you have to do something.

Let's relate this to item number 3. After finishing your tasks and while you're working on personal stuff on your work computer, you often input personal information such as your email address,username, and password. Such info can be saved on the device. (And not because you clicked 'Don't save password' doesn't mean you're already as safe as can be!) Some people don't pay close attention to this. They might not bother deleting or clearing personal data to save time and energy. Sure, it's convenient, but this could be a security risk! 

Remember that your work computer is not REALLY yours. It's a property of the company and they can do whatever they want to it. They can install TeamViewer or surveillance applications. Even your browsing history and the cookies are not safe. Sure, these can be saved for future references but it's always better to be careful. As much as possible, don't ever store passwords and automatic downloads!

Or worse -- you may be a victim of hacking! Anyone who has an access to your office's IT system can attack you.

Wonder why government agency links and bank information are best viewed at Mozilla Firefox? According to Robert S., 'The Balance'  IT expert, "Even though browsers have their own set of security features, Firefox offers unique safety features, such as scanning downloads automatically for malware and viruses".

In line with this, try not to respond to requests for personal account information online. When your social security number is requested as an identifier, ask if you can provide alternate information. Watch out for convincing imitations of banks, card companies, charities, and government agencies.

Do not click on any links in a pop-up. If the pop-up cannot be controlled, restart or shutdown your computer as soon as you can!

Most internet users are very confident using their work computer in personal matters because they think they're the only ones using it. With the current state of our digital world and cybercrimes growing by leaps and bounds, it's very essential that we invest - in time, knowledge, and resources - into protecting ourselves online. 

Of course, don't forget to apply the so-called "NETIQUETTE" -- Have a responsible and respectful behavior online.

Think before you post. This isn't just applicable when you're in the office. You should always always think twice or thrice before posting anything. As working individuals, everything we do has an effect on our reputation at work.

The best way to ensure that you are not getting into trouble is to behave right at all times, offline and online!

😉