Working from home, also known as ‘remote working’ has become increasingly popular over the last few years. More and more people are asking for flexible working environments. This particularly suits parents as this report shows.
Compared to other generations, the average millennial will prefer to work from home. Perhaps it’s the improved productivity, job satisfaction or even the avoidance of the morning rush. Whatever the reason is, there is a strong pull for it!
Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit and new lockdown and social distancing regulations came into place, many workplaces adapted. In many cases this has meant employees working from home. In April 2020, 46.6% of people in employment did some work at home, and of those 86.0% did so because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Therefore with more people working remotely than ever before, how can businesses look after the health and safety of their employees, without physically being there?
As an employer, you have the same legal responsibilities for health and safety for your home workers as for any other workers. Therefore, if any member of your workforce is working remotely, permanently or temporarily, you must implement a number of risk management measures to protect them.
Communication
We all know communication in any business is the key to success, but with many workforces now operating remotely this has never been more challenging. Now more than ever, colleagues should frequently speak with their managers and vice versa.
Not only this, but there could also be greater risks for remote workers as they may have no direct supervision or anyone with them if things were to go wrong. Therefore, regular communication will ensure that they are healthy and safe and your due diligence is done.
Furthermore, if there is little or no communication employees may be isolated or disconnected from the business, which could then lead to heightened stress levels and poor mental health.
To combat this, put a plan together to schedule daily or weekly catch-up calls. This could be either line-manager to employee or even employee to employee.
The Working from Home Environment
When your employees are in the workplace, you are able to monitor and control the environment. You are able to assess potential hazards and risks and prevent them from happening to protect the health and well-being of your workforce. However, when they are working remotely this can be harder to do.
There are many environmental safety factors that all employees working from home should know about. As their employer, it’s up to you to inform them and ensure they are being as compliant as possible.
Firstly, all employees should ensure they have smoke detectors in their home that are regularly checked. In addition they should also have either a fire extinguisher or fire blanket with a clear escape route planned out.
Secondly, all remote works should check that the electricity supply and any electrical appliances used while homeworking are well maintained and regularly checked, It’s also advised to use circuit breakers for your electrical appliances.
Thirdly, employees should have a first aid kit in their home in case any accidents were to happen. And, if they do, they must report them to a manager as soon as they can, just like they would in the office.
Finally, it is also advised that the noise level in your employee’s home should not prevent them from being able to concentrate work well. To ensure that your remote workforce is meeting these requirements, it’s a good idea to put together a risk assessment checklist and get everyone to fill out an individual one. In addition to this, we’ve also put together this infographic that you can download and share with your employees.
Workspace Evaluation
For any employee working with display screen equipment (DSE) an evaluation of their workspace must be carried out. This will ensure that conditions are suitable. Therefore those working from home on a long-term basis must complete a risk assessment at home to make sure that all the legal requirements are met.
Furthermore, for those who are only working from home temporarily, health risks associated with DSE pose no increased risk. Because of this, employers do not need to legally carry out workstation assessments. However, it is recommended that you share advice and tips on the simple steps they can take to minimise risks as much as possible.
Just like they would do in the office, remote workers should take regular breaks. They should be away from their screen for at least five minutes every hour. They should also move about and change sitting positions regularly, alongside changing activity frequently to avoid eye strain and fatigue.
In addition to this, there are five main elements employees working from home need to check when evaluating their workspace. They include the following;
- Workstation
- Monitor
- Chair
- Mouse and keyboard
- Sunlight
To help your employees understand the correct requirements of DSE, we’ve put together this infographic that explains this in detail. Please feel free to save or download this and pass it around your workforce.
Mental Health
The mental health of your employees should be just as important as any other health and safety regulations. Therefore, while the majority of your workforce may be working from home, it’s more important than ever to check in on their wellbeing.
With more time spent alone and indoors, our mental health can suffer if it isn’t cared for properly. To ensure your employees are looking after themselves it’s worth checking in regularly to see how they are doing. In addition to this, you can also set up a ‘buddy’ system. That gives everyone in your organisation has someone they speak to everyday.
With regular contact like this, your employees will feel less isolated and alone. Their mental health will not suffer because of it.