Four in twenty-five employees working from home admit they doze off during meetings, according to a survey by Best Mattress. The survey brings to light changes in sleeping patterns brought about in the era of COVID-19.

It was observed that respondents were slightly more likely to report negative impacts on the quality of their sleep than the quantity. With more and more people out of work or telecommuting during the pandemic many are going to bed late (49%).

Falling Asleep During Meetings Working from Home

As a result, 48% of those surveyed say they are starting their day late, and a third admit to taking naps.

Those experiencing poor sleep prior to the pandemic seem to be especially impacted the most. Other findings of the survey include:

• 21% say they have slept through their morning alarm
• 36% admit to resting more than working
• 60% of poor sleepers and 30% of good sleepers report experiencing pandemic related anxiety
• 66% of poor sleepers and 41% of good sleepers feel lonely
• 61% of poor sleepers and 29% of good sleepers experience depression

Impact of Sleep on Mental Health

Sleep and mental state go hand in hand. Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to irritability and stress, while healthy sleep can enhance well-being. Chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing depression or anxiety. Understandably the unpredictable economic outlook and possibility of another wave of COVID can be the cause for sleeplessness.

More than half of the respondents (60%) say life was less enjoyable and reported they were “just holding on” until things get better. A further 50% say they are less optimistic about the future. And another 39% say handling the pandemic was getting harder each day.

People experiencing poor sleep are far more likely to feel disconnected, anxious, lonely, restless, and depressed. To improve sleep four methods seemed effective for the vast majority of respondents who tried them. They are following a bedtime routine, practicing mindfulness, adhering to a set bedtime, and exercising.

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The commercial entrance mat you see in front of the doors of a building is multifunctional. It may not seem like it, but a quality mat delivers more than meets the eye. And with the right entrance mat, you will protect both your visitors and the wear and tear of your property. Not to mention addressing the set of walkway safety standards that are in place.

So, when you are choosing your next commercial entrance mat, keep in mind the multiple jobs it will do as well as the safety standard it must also abide by.

Best Commercial Entrance Mat

M+A Matting Polypropylene Fiber Entrance Indoor Floor Mat

Top Pick: At a 1/4” thick, three feet wide and 12.2 feet long, this mat by M+A is a heavy-duty outdoor solution. The polypropylene fiber system dries quickly whether it is indoor or outdoor. Using an exclusive water dam, the border keeps dirt and water in the mat and away from the floor.

The ridged construction stores dirt and moisture beneath shoe level using the rubber reinforced face nubs. This design also prevents pile from crushing in high traffic areas. The company says it is made from green-friendly rubber backing and it has 20% recycled rubber content.

M+A Matting 221 Waterhog Fashion Diamond Polypropylene Fiber Entrance Indoor Floor Mat

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Durite Recycled Tire-Link Outdoor Entrance Mat

Runner Up: As tough and reliable entrance mats go; this design is tried and true in all kinds of weather. Made from recycled tires, you can get this mat in sizes up to 36” X 72” to cover the need of most entrances. The open weave design keeps dirt, grime, and moisture off the surface of the mat.

One of the greatest benefits of this mat is its durability. These mats last for years and they are made from 90% recycled content.

Durable Corporation-108H3672 Durite Recycled Tire-Link Outdoor Entrance Mat

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Guardian Clean Step Scraper Outdoor Floor Mat

Best Value: Made from 100% rubber, this mat is lab and field-tested as well as being NFSI high traction certified. You can get it in three different sizes with the longest one at 10’ in length.

The molded tread design of the Guardian scraper outdoor mat gets dirt and grime away from shoes and traps it into the base of the mat. This is a solid mat for outdoor entryways as it also holds more than a gallon of water.

Guardian Clean Step Scraper Outdoor Floor Mat, Natural Rubber, Scrapes Shoes Clean of Dirt and Grime

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Durable Heavy-Duty Rubber Fingertip Outdoor Entrance Mat

Constructed of heavy-duty rubber the tiny fingers on this mat removes dirt and debris from shoes and traps them securely. The bottom of the mat has a corrugated pattern to keep it in place and the four sides have beveled edging.

The edging ensures the dirt stays in the mat and prevents tripping by providing a level field with the floor.

Durable Heavy Duty Rubber Fingertip Outdoor Entrance Mat, Black

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Wearwell Natural Rubber UpFront Scraper Mat for Outdoor Entrances

Made from natural rubber this mat has a low-profile designed to keep it from snagging on doors or tripping people. The upfront scraper with a quick-dry, open-slot design promotes drainage in wet or snowy weather.

Wearwell is a U.S. family-owned and operated business that has been manufacturing matting and flooring since 1950. The company’s green initiative is responsible for ensuring it uses 33% recycled content.

Wearwell Natural Rubber UpFront Scraper Grease Resistant Mat, Slotted, for Outdoor Entrances

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American Floor Mats Waterhog Fall Day Designer Red

If your business happens to have small doors and you want to make a statement with the entrance mat, this will do it. The design is beautiful to look at, but it also holds up to 1.5 gallons/square yard of water.

Constructed from quick-drying, anti-static polypropylene it is stain, fade, and mildew resistant with a gripper backing to ensure it stays in place. The mats are made from 20% recycled content.

American Floor Mats Waterhog Fall Day Designer Red Entrance Floor Mat with Gripper Backing

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Rubber-Cal “Paw-Grip” 100% Nitrile Non-Slip Rubber Matting

If you have a long walkway to the entrance of your business, this roll will protect your customers as they walk into your front door. This mat is made from 100% Nitrile non-slip rubber with a raised bar design to offer extra grip.

The holes throughout the mat provide quick drainage for wet applications. This mat is reversible, and you can also use it for wet indoor environments such as kitchens. Because it is 100% Nitrile it is compatible with a range of products and chemicals.

Rubber-Cal “Paw-Grip” 100% Nitrile Non-Slip Rubber Matting, Black

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How Do You Choose an Entrance Mat?

• Consider your type of business: Healthcare and hospitality industries have some specific needs. While manufacturing, construction and fitness industries have other requirements. There are standards for the different industries, so make sure the mat you buy addresses them.
• Size: Choose the biggest mat your budget will allow. This is because the bigger it is the more chances there are for people to clean their shoes before they get into your place of business. If it is too small, it cannot take care of more than one person at a time. And if they are in a hurry, they might just get in without even stepping on the mat.
• Material: The material you choose is going to depend on whether it is an indoor or outdoor mat. You can get materials ranging from rubber to woven seagrass, nylon, aluminum, cork, polypropylene, coconut fiber, nitrile rubber, PVC and others.
• Durability: The material you choose will dictate how long your entrance mat will last. Look for materials with characteristics capable of withstanding constant scraping and absorbing. This is going to allow the mat to trap the dirt and moisture while lasting longer.
• Aesthetic and Personalization: An entrance mat gives the first impression before a customer enters your place of business. Choose a color, design, and logo to highlight your brand. A custom entrance mat is a great way to communicate to your customers you are putting extra effort in extending your hospitality.

Safety

Slip and fall injuries are a serious problem when you enter a commercial building. And the role of entrance mats is especially important in addressing this issue. The 2012 update of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B101 committee on Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention on walkway safety standards regulates the types of mats you must install in your entrance.

The ANSI/NFSI B101.6-2012 “Standard Guide For Commercial Entrance Matting In Reducing Slips, Trips And Falls” makes a number of recommendations. It provides the criteria for selecting, installing, inspecting along with the care and maintenance of entrance mats. This includes loose soil, moisture, un-flush edges on the mat, and improper installations as some of the issues the update addresses.

The Job of an Entrance Mat

An entrance mat must perform three key tasks to be effective. And this is made possible with the material, construction, size, and placement of the mat.

1. The first thing it must do is prevent moisture, dirt, and other debris from coming into the building. It does this by scraping the shoes and removing the debris as well as absorbing the moisture if it is wet.
2. If it does the first job properly, it will prevent slip and falls once people leave the mat and enter the building.
3. To make this safety standard possible, the mat needs to trap the dirt and moisture in place. Once it traps the dirt and moister, a quality mat will also prevent them from escaping and being carried by other people inside the building until it gets cleaned.

Indoor and Outdoor Mats

The job of indoor and outdoor mats differs greatly. The weather in your region as well the covering over the entrance will also play a role.

The outdoor mat needs to drain moisture while removing the debris on shoes including dirt and mud. These mats are commonly made with rubber, they have drainage holes, and nubs to clean dirt and mud.

Indoor mats can also perform all the tasks of an outdoor mat, and if the building only has one mat this is going to be the case. If you plan to only have an indoor mat, invest in the highest quality mat with a raised section and fabric top for wiping and scraping one’s shoes and absorbing moisture.

The ideal scenario is to have an exterior and interior entrance mat. This will not only do a better job, but the mats will last much longer.

As you can see an entrance mat does more than meets the eye. Its function goes far beyond the utilitarian role it is designed for.

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Your computers and devices are the lifeblood of your small business — your company uses them to communicate with vendors, clients, make critical business decisions, and hold your trade secrets. That’s why you can’t afford to make any of the following cybersecurity mistakes:

Mistake #1 Underestimating Cybersecurity Threats

As businesses grow more dependent on the Internet, trolls and hackers use increasingly sophisticated tools to target them. Cybersecurity experts like Malwarebytes advise companies to be wary of the most common malware attacks.

• Computer viruses can quickly do incalculable damage by rapidly replicating on your system while modifying or deleting files and folders essential to your operation.
• Computer worms spread through your network, almost instantly infecting every computer in your business as they modify and delete vital data.
• Spyware quietly spies on you and your employees, and transmits your company’s sensitive information to cybercriminals for blackmail or industrial espionage.
• Keyloggers are a sneaky type of spyware that log your keystrokes and send them to hackers to help them commit financial fraud.
• Ransomware is an especially dangerous type of malware that locks your critical files, folders, systems, or entire network until you pay a ransom in the form of a nearly untraceable cryptocurrency,  a small fortune.

Many of these types of malware are delivered to you or your employees through phishing expeditions or Trojan horses. A phishing attack usually comes in the shape of an authentic-looking email to your company and carries fraudulent links or malware. Meanwhile, Trojan horses are malware disguised as legitimate software.

To combat these threats, you need the right antivirus software. But with so many options out there, you need to make smart choices. Not all cybersecurity solutions are created equal.

Mistake #2 Relying Exclusively on Your Default Security System

Whether your company uses PCs, Macs, your default security system isn’t strong enough to protect your business. For example, Windows Security has been criticized for weaker malware detection rates than other leading antivirus solutions and it has shown poor performance in hands-on phishing protection tests.

The subpar performance of Windows Security should alarm business owners because of the regular discovery of security vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system. Such security holes can be exploited by hackers to breach your system with malware and steal your data.

Unfortunately, Microsoft usually takes precious time to patch security holes. Your best defense is antivirus software that offers real-time protection and shields your valuable data from threats at all hours of the day, and one that actually analyzes the behavior of malicious programs to detect whether they’re targeting your system.

While Macs are traditionally safer than PCs due to a more tightly controlled manufacturing process from Apple, cybersecurity threats against Macs are growing by the day. According to the 2020 State of Malware Report, Mac software threats climbed 400% in 2019, more than Windows. It’s a good thing that well-reviewed antivirus software for Macs can crush malware, adware, spyware, and other threats.

Mistake #3 Relying on Free Antivirus Software

You wouldn’t use low-cost padlocks to lock your company doors, so why would you use free antivirus software to secure your business’s computers?

• Free antivirus software offers low detection rates
• Leading free antivirus software breaches your privacy by collecting data about your usage
• The most downloaded free antivirus software issues false positives to appear useful
• Many free antivirus programs carry bloatware and intrusive ads that slow your computers down to a crawl, hindering your business’s productivity.
• The most popular free antivirus solutions suffer from data breaches, making them counterproductive to use

When something is free, you need to ask yourself, “but at what cost?” Free antivirus software will cost you in the long run, whether compromising your uptime or tying up your time as you scramble for solutions once your system’s security is already compromised.

Remember, creating, running, and maintaining a comprehensive business security system that runs at lightning quick speed and prevents zero-day exploits, ransomware, or malicious downloads requires resources. When you use a free security solution, you pay for it one way or the other down the road.

Mistake #4 Not Being Proactive

It’s critical to be proactive when managing your company’s cybersecurity. Think of it as insurance that protects your business from worst-case scenarios.

According to Forbes, 28% of small- to medium-sized businesses experienced data breaches in 2019. While some companies took months to repair the damage, others struggled to recover and closed permanently. Small businesses like yours should take these attacks seriously, especially during the pandemic, as more employees work remotely, away from the safety of company computers and networks.

The right cybersecurity software for your business should secure and empower every member of your team, be lightweight, offer dedicated support, and work on various platforms. Moreover, it should be cost-effective.

Remember, there are 350,000 instances of new malware detected every day. Only advanced antivirus software can remediate such emerging threats by using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to recognize malware behavior based on patterns, scrutinizing the program’s overall structure, programming logic, and data.

Mistake #5 Ignoring the Bigger Picture

Safeguarding the integrity of your data is essential for your business, employees, and your customers. A security breach can permanently erode consumer confidence in your company and adversely affect your profitability and revenue.

A breach in your cybersecurity doesn’t just mean that your information is compromised — it means your clients’ data might be exposed as well.

When you’re a small business, you have no margin for error when it comes to cybersecurity. When some of the largest, most influential companies in the world suffer from data breaches, they have the resources to reach an astronomical global settlement with their clients. Can your small business afford to ignore the bigger picture?

As your small business’s digital footprint grows more prominent, you must subscribe to cutting-edge cybersecurity software in order to secure your business and focus on improving your profitability stress-free.

Images: Malwarebytes