Beyond Digital Security: Why You Need Privacy at Work

Having privacy at work is not a luxury. Professionals require dedicated, secure spaces for more than protecting client data: privacy is a soft asset that contributes to your overall productivity and the wellness of your enterprise.

A private workspace makes room for creativity and fosters deep, focused work. But it also provides crucial reassurance that your data and your confidential conversations stay that way. 

Whether you’re a broker, a lawyer, or a financial services provider, you know how much confidential client information passes through your field of vision every day. It’s likely that a home office simply doesn’t provide the infrastructure and quiet that you need.

Beyond having a secured door with limited keycard access, an enterprise-grade WiFi network, and your own VPN, you also need sound dampening walls and a desk that is your own. Here’s why privacy at work is so important today.

With Cyberattacks on the Rise, Workplace Privacy Is Paramount

As the global workforce has relocated to dining room tables and home office, reports of increased cyber threats are mounting. The risk of a data breach is heightened for all companies that have access to sensitive personal or financial information today.

In this climate, your home wi-fi just doesn’t cut it. Whether you use a VPN or multi-factor authentication, you need to have a secure internet connection on which you can conduct your business, as well as anti-malware and anti-virus software installed on all of your devices.

In addition to thinking about the security measures you use to protect the devices you use to conduct your business, you should also consider the value of perimeter-based security for your team. While this is an older framework for digital security, it may be helpful for your lean team to share one workspace in which your devices and data are stored (and protected).

By having a designated workspace away from the office where you can secure all devices within your network, your company and any sensitive data you store will be better positioned for monitoring in a private setting. But having privacy at work isn’t just about who might gain visibility into your files through your home internet connection.

Your Privacy Needs Aren’t Limited to the Digital World

As any professional who handles sensitive information knows, a home office is no replacement for a dedicated office space within a building with enterprise-grade security measures for access and surveillance. As comfortable as working from home may be on occasion, many professionals need space where clients or employees can gather for confidential conversations. 

While your clients or counterparts will likely be understanding of your children popping into the background of a Zoom call, consider what else that breach communicates about the operation you’re running. If you want to demonstrate that you have a private, secure workspace where they can visit you in person if necessary, you’ll need a private office outside of your home.

Imagine a space that offers quiet, well-ventilated rooms that you can book for hours of uninterrupted strategizing. If you’re in law, you might use this room to take a deposition. If you’re running a performance review for remote employees, the noise cancellation and sound dampening doors reinforce your guests’ sense of privacy. And this type of private office rental already exists.

Privacy for Your Professional Needs, When You and Your Team Need It

Perhaps especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, having a headquarters where you can steer your organization is critical. 

If you run a lean team where most employees are happy to work from home most days of the week, you may not need a secure workspace that can accommodate your entire team every day. But for those who don’t want to work from home forever, it may be advantageous to maintain a small, professional office that meets your team’s needs.

For this segment of your team or on days when you need to host client meetings in a professional space, it’s important that you’re able to provide everyone with concierge services that make everyone feel comfortable from the moment they enter the parking garage to when they take a seat upstairs.

How Privacy Supports Deep Work

Whether you’re in the middle of your career or venturing out on your own for the first time, you need a quiet place where you can take calls and dedicate every minute of your day to your organization’s priorities.

A recent report from OfficeRND predicts that offices with private spaces will rebound more quickly than office buildings that don’t offer boundaries for safe, isolated work like typical coworking spaces. And if it’s important for your team to operate with a sense of discretion and professionalism, most coworking spaces won’t meet your standards for privacy. 

Whether you’re looking to rent a new office or become a member at a professional coworking or proworking space, you should know that you’re not alone in valuing privacy in your professional workspace. Privacy isn’t just nice to have; it’s a critical asset that helps you focus and thrive.