Why do You Need a Personal Laptop? Some research shows that half of the workers use work-issued devices for personal tasks like sending personal messages, shopping online, accessing social media, or reading the news.
However, the prospect of using your work laptop for your personal stuff, not just for work, but also for watching movies online, group chat messaging, reading fanfiction, paying bills, and emailing is tempting though, mostly for people who work from home.
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Why You Need a Personal Laptop
Also, keeping work tasks and personal tasks in one device seems like an easier way to simplify one’s activities. And most times it may seem like a good cost-saving measure. Not minding how well it may look using your work device for your personal stuff, it’s not advisable to do that.
This article will unveil the reasons you need your own laptop. Here are a few reasons you need your own PC.
IT Can See Your Activities
If you’re using a work laptop, assume IT can see what you’re doing. Companies/organizations have all manner of tools available to monitor their employees’ devices such as keyloggers, biometric tracking, geolocation, and software that tracks web browsing and social media behavior.
However, some make use of some sort of monitoring technique, and their usage has become very popular throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your Company Can See What You’re Doing
The reason you need to get your PC is that your company can see what you’re doing in company-run programs like Slack and G-Suite Enterprise. Like the novel, you’ve been writing at night? Imagine sending messages complaining to your co-workers about your boss.
The company can see all of that. Even if you have separate personal accounts for these services, it’s still more likely that you’ll mix them up if you’re logged into both accounts on the same computer.
Other People Can Access What You Downloaded
It’s not just your activity that your colleagues might see, they may also get access to anything you download. Loading some personal pic or text messages onto your work device for safekeeping might seem harmless — I guess you’ll just wipe them off before you hand it in, right?
But some organizations like (Apple) won’t actually let you wipe your device before handing it in, not minding how personal the contents are.
You May Lose Your Personal Contents in Stored Work Laptop
However, even if your employer doesn’t have the kind of policy mentioned above, there’s still the possibility that you might be fired or laid off at short notice, or your company might collapse without warning.
In these very cases, you may have the time to move personal files of your laptop before turning it in, but depending on the circumstances of your termination, you could be locked out of it before you have the chance. This is one of the reasons is not advisable to use your work laptop for personal activities.
To Avoid Embarrassment
The list of embarrassing possibilities surrounding using a work device for your own activities is endless: an employee, who accidentally posted fetish porn in a company-wide group chat? Or someone who invited his current boss to join his job interview on Zoom?
Furthermore, if you’re mixing work and pleasure on one device, just one mistaken email attachment or one incorrect copy/paste could lead to scenarios that aren’t just embarrassing but could harm your relationships with co-workers and even jeopardize your job.
Freedom and Peace of Mind
When you use your own PC, there’s this freedom and relaxed mind you will have knowing that Slack notification won’t pop up. Also, lots of remote employees have trouble logging off, and the majority feel that their personal and professional lives are more blended together than they would be with office access.
With your own laptop, you’re less tempted to peek at your work email if you’re not logged into it on my computer.
