The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, forcing many of us to self-isolate and work from home.
Understandably, you may be wondering why document destruction matters when you are at home.
At the office, it is true that there are a lot more risks involved.
If your office is usually open to the public, for example, wandering eyes could get a hold of confidential materials left on your desk. Cluttered paperwork could be easily stolen without immediate notice.
While that risk is extremely low at home, it is still important to be mindful of the disposal of your documents. Whether it’s your personal or work-related documents, they should be disposed of properly. Due to certain federal and state laws, documents must be destroyed to maintain compliance.
Identity theft affects 1 in 10 Americans. Don’t allow yourself to become a part of the statistics. While shredding work documents is critical, make sure you shred your own sensitive personal documents in order to protect yourself.
But First…Don’t Forget About Cybersecurity
If you’ve never worked from home before, check out a previous blog, where we discussed tips on how to work safely online.
Make sure that you use a variety of passwords for your different accounts and that you don’t use common or guessable passwords. Using unique, strong passwords ensures that if one of your accounts gets hacked, then the rest of your accounts are protected.
Never click on any suspicious links or emails, which are known as phishing scams. Phishing scams try to entice the user to click on the link, which infects your computer. For additional protection, purchase anti-virus and anti-malware software that protects your computer in the case of a data breach.
Keep Confidential Documents On Hand
As most people will be working from home, ensure that extra precautions are taken to protect confidential documents. If your employee has taken sensitive documentation home, ensure that they bring it into the office at a later date to place in one of our lockable containers. Don’t throw your documents in the trash or in the recycling, as this leaves the opportunity for dumpster divers to steal valuable customer information, or even your own.
Shredding documents goes beyond simply shredding work documents. You have documents at home that could leave you vulnerable to a data breach, such as financial statements, credit card applications or even birthday cards! It may seem unlikely, but it is true. Birthday cards give out valuable information, like your name, age (in some cases) and address, leaving you vulnerable to fraud.
What Documents Should I Shred?
- Documents that contain personal information such as name, birthday, address, phone number or email
- Employee pay stubs
- Void checks
- Credit card information
- Copies of sales receipts
- Confidential client information
- Employment records
After This is Over…How Will The Process Work?
While you’re at home, make sure that you are storing any confidential documents in a safe place at home, whether that means storing documents in a container or a box. Once your business reopens to your employees and to the public, have your employees bring in the documents and place the documents in a lockable container at the office. We will then come to you in one of our fully-equipped shred trucks to have your documents destroyed.
Find Out More Today!
Document Destruction of Virginia is the largest locally owned and operated on-site shredding company in Central Virginia.
At this time, we are open for business and monitoring the health of our staff. We encourage everyone to stay healthy and to contact us with any questions by reaching out online or giving us a call at 1-877-338-3320.