INDONESIAKININEWS.COM - Following the long work from home debate, the bulk of JP Morgan staff has returned to the office-at least on a hybr...
To help give its staff geographic flexibility after getting a taste for the freedom that comes with fully remote work, the company has adopted Google's "Work From Anywhere" Policy.
But with one major caveat. JP Morgan's "work from anywhere," policy restricts where staff work while working remotely.
This means no hotels, coffee shops, share co-working space or potentially even a relative's home. In other words, staff can use their "work from anywhere" time from anywhere, so long as it's not within close proximity to potentially prying eyes.
Staff can work remotely-if they're working privately.
This might sound like good news for home-sharing platforms like Airbnb or VRBO, but it's bad news for staff who want to build their collection loyalty points with their favorite hotel chain or enjoy soaking in the energy of a buzzing cafe. It eliminates the option to work anywhere where others might be around-including co-working spaces, airports and hostels.
What's different about JP Morgan's remote work policy is that it's not solely about the increased security risks and blatant vulnerability that come along with working on an open network-VPN or not. Data protection and security depend not only on securing the networks we work on, but working from a secure location-with no potential for witnesses that could lead to insider trading.
Sound data protection includes online-and offline-measures
The reality is that it's not only hackers online waiting for the opportunity to pounce on the private information an employee of a major financial institution. It could be those around you, whether that's the hotel cleaning or maintenance staff who might happen to have physical access to your laptop or the person sitting at the table next to you at a cafe.
Granted, the reasons why JP Morgan banned remote staff from working in certain public locations may extend beyond the risk of onlookers and Wifi security. For example, it might serve to keep its staff honest as it eliminates the most evident excuse as to how someone in their proximity gained otherwise secure and confidential data.
Speculation aside, it does make you wonder why Apple hasn't come out with quantum spy glasses, like these homemade spy glasses this YouTuber made. Until then, companies that offer staff the ability to work remotely, have to be cognizant of both the network staff are working from, but the network of people they are physically working around.
It helps eliminate gray areas between work and life
JP Morgan's policy helps to eliminate the gray areas between work and life in that it forces staff to delineate the purpose of one location from another. While we might love absorbing the atmosphere of our favorite cafe, that doesn't mean we should make it our place of work. Just as a hotel room doesn't mimic an office as a place to work, but a bedroom as a place to sleep.
Which is why JP Morgan still puts its staff up in five-star hotels during work trips all the time. The purpose of a work trip isn't to simply work from a hotel room, but to conduct business that has no business in a space designed for sleeping. In other words, JP Morgan staff can, of course, stay in hotel rooms if the hotel room is a place to unwind and rest-not an office space to work in.
Security requires a multi-pronged approach, says the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and businesses need to be vigilant towards security measures both online and offline. It's a good reminder that there are a number of factors to consider when assessing which positions can work remotely-and securely.
Consider security factors beyond the digital world, and in the real world. Because it's not just where staff work, but who they might be working around. No matter how much trust you have in your staff, that doesn't mean they're always in the presence of trustworthy people. After all, you can't assume sensitive information will remain private if staff is working in the public.
Source: inc
