What is Home Office Safety and Security Week?

Home-based business owners take note: This week, January 8-14, is Home Office Safety and Security Week (HOSSW). What is Home Office Safety and Security Week? This special January observance focuses on encouraging business owners to beef up the security and safety of their home offices.

There are a number of ways to increase home office safety and security, and we’ll talk about some of those below.

For those interested in following along on Twitter, use the hashtag #HOSSweek to keep up!

What is Home Office Safety and Security Week?

Home Office Safety and Security Week falls on the second week of January each year. This year, that’s January 8-14.

Details about the origins of the week-long observance were not available, but the focus of Home Office Safety and Security Week is clear: Reminding business owners to maintain and increase the safety and security of their home offices.

Safety and security are broad terms, so what do they mean in the context of this week-long observance? Let’s take a closer look.

Why does safety and security matter in a home office?

What are the components of safety and security in a home office?

• Privacy and data security
• Physical security
• Physical safety for adults and children (if applicable)
• Proper information storage

Home Office Safety and Security Week is all about attending to your data security and privacy, ensuring your office is both physically safe and secure, and that all information you possess pertaining to your business and clients is stored properly and securely.

How can you celebrate Home Office Safety and Security Week?

There are a number of ways you can celebrate this week, all of which will be beneficial for your business. Check out some of our ideas below!

• Check on your current anti-virus and firewall protection, upgrade if needed
• Untangle, organize and group electronic cords
• Make sure there’s a clear path to the exit
• Back up all information onto a hard drive
• Keep stored client data confidential
• Ensure sensitive data is encrypted
• Put loose papers into files to keep them secure
• Childproof your office if children have access

If you work from a home office, making sure your workplace is safe and secure is essential. And because safety and security aren’t often top of mind, it’s nice to have a week-long reminder to get home offices in order. How are you ensuring safety and security in your home office this week?

Looking for more information about managing a home office? Check out our home office guides and blog posts below!

Home Office Tips and Guides

• Is Your Home Office Optimized for Productivity?
• Easy DIY Home Office Pallet Furniture Ideas
• Home Office Furniture Ideas for Small Spaces
• Common Home Office Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• 5 Ideas to Create a Peaceful, Productive Home Office
• 6 Tips to Design a Simple Home Office

Did you know?

Virtual receptionists make a smart, cost-effective addition to any home office. We are able to route your phone calls directly to our experienced team of virtual receptionists, who will answer your callers with the greeting and instructions you specify.

You can sound like a traditional office with an in-house receptionist while working from home using a virtual receptionist at a tiny fraction of the cost (around $209/month*). See what a virtual receptionist can do for your home office!