Working from home

During the global health crisis, lockdown measures forced many people to work remotely. According to the  Michael Page Africa survey, 79 percent of people in South Africa  worked from home at the height of COVID-19. Today, having emerged from the worst of the pandemic, 16 percent of companies worldwide still operate completely remotely, with another 40 percent offering a hybrid approach to work, allowing employees to divide their time between the workplace and home. 

However, the trend of working from home is not without risks. Given the ongoing loadshedding in South Africa and significant grid failures that cause power supply outages that last for several hours, essential electrical appliances such as laptops, mobile devices, and Wi-Fi routers can simply cease to operate. . As a result, any home-working set-up will be rendered temporarily redundant which  is a very real risk faced by home workers.

Introducing UPS

To avoid the impact that loadshedding could have on their day-to-day tasks, anyone working from home should consider investing in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Should an outage occur, a UPS backup will switch from mains supply to batteries, ensuring their electrical equipment continues to operate, devices remain connected to their company’s network, and business can carry on as normal even in the absence of a regular power supply. 

Eaton is a leading provider of UPS, delivering high quality, reliable back-up whether you’re working from the office or from home. You can be assured that, however sophisticated your home set-up and however much energy it uses, Eaton has a UPS that will protect your business applications and allow you to carry on working as usual in the event of an outage. 

These include the Eaton 3S Mini, which provides advanced protection for internet routers, modems, IP-cameras, and IoT applications, and the Eaton 3S Gen2, for affordable and reliable protection for desktop computers, TV and audio, and storage systems. In addition, the Eaton Ellipse PRO offers advanced protection for desktop PCs, gaming computers, and pro audio.

Minimizing risk

In 2020, working from home  was a necessity for many. Now, often as part of a hybrid approach, it’s become a preferred alternative to the workplace. But while working from home has its advantages, these can be undone in the event of loadshedding. 

So it’s important to be aware that, due to an increasing demand for energy, extreme weather as a result of the effects of climate change, and a shift towards often unstable renewable energy sources – not to mention the ongoing impact of the global energy crisis – we face a significant risk of loadshedding occurring. 

However, with an Eaton UPS as backup, you can be sure that, whatever this winter holds, you can work from home safe in the knowledge that you’ll enjoy business as usual.