Surveys have shown that over half of workers use work-issued devices for personal tasks — whether sending personal messages, shopping online, accessing social media, or reading the news.

The prospect of using your work laptop as your only laptop — not just for work, but also for Netflixing, group chat messaging, reading fanfiction, paying bills, and emailing recipes to your mom — is understandably tempting, especially for folks who work from home.

Keeping work tasks and personal tasks in one place may feel like an easy way to simplify your life, and it might save space on your desk.

The most important thing to remember is that if you’re using a work laptop, you should assume IT can see what you’re doing.

“If you’re on a work laptop, you should assume your IT can see everything,” says Ryan Toohil, who has worked in IT for 20 years and is currently CTO of Aura, a digital security firm.

Loading some personal photos or text messages onto your work device for safekeeping might seem harmless — you’ll just wipe them off before you hand it in, right.

Even if you leave your company with plenty of notice, moving a bunch of things off your work device in the last few days of your tenure could raise some eyebrows with IT — who, remember, can see everything you’re doing on that device.

“Let’s say you’re going to work at a competitor,” Toohil says.

At a minimum, you’re going to spend some time explaining what you were doing?

If you’re mixing work and pleasure on one device, just one mistaken email attachment or one incorrect copy / paste could lead to scenarios that aren’t just embarrassing but could harm your relationships with co-workers and even jeopardize your job.

I know using your work laptop as a personal laptop may seem like a decent cost-saving measure, especially if you’re one of the 51 percent of US employees who work from home at least some of the time.

But here’s the good news: a personal laptop doesn’t have to cost very much, especially if you just plan on using it for some emailing, Netflix, and tweeting.

I’ve tested all of these devices myself, including the $299 Lenovo Chromebook Duet and the $389.99 Asus Chromebook Detachable, and I’d have no problem using either as my primary personal device.

A personal laptop is an investment — not just in your security, but in your mental health