According to new global research by the Russian-based cybersecurity lab, Kaspersky, people working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic have discovered some guilty pleasures that they would now like to keep.
According to the research which studied the behaviours of 8,000 small and midsize business (SMB) workers. Speaking of the opportunities opened up by working from home in South Africa, 15 per cent of respondents said they liked working without clothes. Yes, people enjoy working naked.
Other novelties favoured by employees in South Africa include weekday lie-ins (42 per cent), binge-watching Netflix (33 per cent) and working outside in the garden or on a balcony (32 per cent).
As the working environment during the global pandemic shifted from secure offices to kitchen tables, workers met many difficulties balancing work and private lives, the report said.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), employees working remotely this year faced mental health and wellbeing challenges, such as childcare pressures and digital connectivity. Nevertheless, some office staff who switched to working remotely enjoyed this experience and discovered some guilty pleasures they now want to retain.
Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky, Marina Titova said this lockdown turned out to be a two-way street for people whose job allows them to work from home.
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“On the one hand, employees finally got a chance to forget about the downsides of big-city life and start working in a more comfortable atmosphere. On the other hand, they faced many challenges when struggling to remain productive, reorganising their workspace and developing new habits,” she said.
“When you work from home your privacy is put at greater risk, making it vital that you remember to take care of your digital security.”
Aside from working in the nude, which is still far from mainstream, Kaspersky said the majority of respondents benefitted from simply working in comfortable clothes: 66 per cent got used to this lifestyle and would like to make it the norm in the future.
Saying goodbye to long commutes also made employees happier as they could wake up five minutes before work started, while many also enjoyed taking a nap during the day (42%).
Other treats favoured by employees include more time for video games (15%), takeaway lunches (18%) and showering less (10%).
However, this newfound open-mindedness not only leads to profits but also to a certain level of responsibility when it comes to digital security.
Having reliable security solutions across devices that workers use will be crucial in order to protect their individual privacy as they enjoy new ways of unwinding, the report said.
