Wfh but working safely from the gym

[Purpl]

can anyone help please? I’ve got a work issued laptop in which I have to log on to vpn to get into work stuff.
i hate wfh it’s so lonely and like to work at the gym who have WiFi. They have desk with privacy areas but am I breach or work it policy if I log onto their member WiFi? Will work know I been working there.?
hopefully someone can help. Thanks

You need to check with your it dept. Some won't let you log in via public networks.

If you're lonely, why don't you go into the office?

Thank you. I would love to but there is nobody in the office anymore and my noe nearest office is 2 hour drive away amd again very few people go in. This seems to be the norm now in my industry sadly

The PP is right about asking if you can log into public networks. You can frame it to them as wanting to go work in a cafe once a week. Don’t mention the gym! :)

using the wifi of any 3rd party could make your work data vulnerable, so you shouldn't log into any work system that contains confidential data.

Ask if your work have a vpn tool. this will make you data traffic more secure, although some 3rd party wifi services won't accept connections that are coming through a vpn.

my work data security policy says I shouldn't access certain systems when not on my home wifi, or if it is absolutely business-critical that I must, then it is better to hotspot my mobile phone and use that rather than accessing it over an insecure link.

Are you going to ignore the gym equipment and classes? If so, why do you want to work from a gym, of all places?You cannot be sure that your device will be safe from physical and digital interference in a gym. How can you ensure confidential information is not overheard or seen on your screen, whilst maintaining normal productivity? Especially if you want to socialise with others at the gym as to not be lonely?

If your company has added VPN, it’s likely they’ve blocked access to public Wi-Fi due to the security risks involved. Unsecured, public Wi-Fi makes it easy for your device to be compromised and data to be accessed. Your company will be able to see which networks you have tried to access. I wouldn’t be surprised if the IT department can use this to access your location.

Would you be liable if your work device was stolen from the gym? Check your intranet, it may be seen as negligent or inappropriate to eg leave it in a gym locker and you might be in trouble if anything happens to it. You also have no control over background noise if you’re in meetings/calls.

personally I would keep working from home and just go to the gym outside of work. Work doesn’t have to be the epitome of your social life.

Are you going to ignore the gym equipment and classes? If so, why do you want to work from a gym, of all places?

@GLADragss a lot of the higher level gyms or even council gyms have cafes and seating areas where you can hang out and sit around for a while. Especially if they bill themselves as a health club like David Lloyd or Bannatyne.

I'm a civil servant and my colleague does this for a couple of hours per day on her wfh days as she lives alone so it provides her with company and motivation to get up and out of the house

Thank you for all your replys. Really good advice.
To answer a few points I have a David Lloyd membership it has a buisiness hub with proper desks and hubs around so no one could see my screen amd it’s quiet. Any slight background noise is far less than an office.

if I need the toilet my laptop comes with me amd if I do a class I make sure it’s the lunchtime one and lock my laptop in the boot of my car.
I can see other people working and there is a slight buzz. I just focus so much better and efficient. I try so hard from home but for some reason I am one of the few who just can’t focus on my own. I’ve worked in big busy open plan offices all my career. I’ve tried music but I type the lyrics !!!!

there are 2 WiFi at the gym guest amd members only that need your membership details.

I can do work on my laptop out of word like writing reports but if I want to get into main systems to see files and data I habe ti log on via the wori vpn. This is the same if I am at home I need to log on to vpn still. It send me a verification code to my personal mobile as double layer to put in.

I would clear it with your IT team as I said. I work with a lot of commercially sensitive material and never log on via public wifi. But your employer will have IT policies.

The thing is, your membership Wi-Fi is probably still filtered out as public Wi-Fi by the VPN. It depends on the network settings.

Can you do your actually work offline on your laptop itself word/excel etc and transfer to the network from home. That is what I can do out and about.

Does your work have an end user computing agreement/acceptable use policy, a remote working policy or a safe internet use policy? Anything named similarly to these should let you know if you are allowed to use public Wi-Fi.

Yes I can pretty much do all I need offline so I am thinking if I plan my tasks for a few hours there it may work.
Am also going to check out IT policies too.

You could get around the public wifi problem by tethering to your phone or using a mifi unit.

If you're willing to pay for internet you could get a Wi-Fi dongle then it would be your own private connection, I used to do that but I got a big data contract pretty cheap on my phone so I hotspot now

That’s interesting how much do you think a dongle and internet will cost?
thank you for all your replies

I don't see why working from their business hub is any different than working from a co-working space, OP.

As an employer I wouldn't have a problem with this, as long as you were productive and delivering your workload, and available for an video meetings as normal.

I’m far more productive when I’m out & I don’t really have video meetings very often but I will make sure I’m home for them.
there is a cyber security training session online so I am going to refresh my memory with over Xmas.

That’s interesting how much do you think a dongle and internet will cost?
thank you for all your replies

Dongles vary. I would be looking at MiFi rather than a dongle. They are more versatile.

The Three network is generally the cheapest for data. Although, not necessarily Three themselves.

I regularly work from a David Lloyd. I connect to mobile hotspot (work phone). Partly because the WiFi is poor generally and partly for privacy.