Home Working

As all of those who viewed Tuesday’s Prime Ministerial broadcast would have seen, the government are reverting to their tried and tested message of the very recent past – ‘if possible, work from home’. The government were only very recently campaigning to get people back to work, so whilst this is effectively yet another U-turn by the government (add it to the list following the change of approach regarding the use of face masks in schools, the A-Levels fiasco and the moratorium on evictions, to name a few), few would be brave enough to question the motive behind the decision.

Employers have been here before – they only need to cast their mind back to March, at which time a significant number of staff began working from home. Indeed, many still are. As such, many employers and employees may not be impacted by the announcement at all (at least so far as working from home is concerned).

We set out below some guidance on how employers can prepare (again) for the shift to home working.

Equipment

From the outset, an employer must ensure its employees have the correct equipment to work from home. To ensure a smooth transition, get all employees to test their equipment beforehand, including getting everyone to log on together to check the capacity of the server and minimise any issues.

Health and Safety

It may be unreasonable, if not near impossible, for an employer to carry out risk assessments for each employee who is working from home. However, the employer will still be responsible for the health, safety and welfare of its employees whilst they are working from home. So how can we do this, we hear you ask. An employer should ensure that equipment they have provided is safe for use, reasonable adjustments are considered for any employee with a disability and a manager is in regular contact with employees to ensure they are progressing well. An employer can still issue generic guidelines regarding health and safety risks and the ergonomic set up of the work station to assist an employee to self-assess risk.

Flexibility

When employees first began working from home, many employers were concerned about childcare issues, reduced productivity and adversely affecting mental health. ! Childcare will continue to be an issue for as long as the virus is rife in schools and whole years groups are required to self-isolate. Productivity may be impacted and some employees may find it a struggle working in a different or more isolated environment. It is important for employers to regularly check on employees’ welfare, plan ahead and be accommodating where possible in order to ensure the continued success of working from home.

Homeworking policy

If you haven’t already, you should consider introducing a home working policy. This will govern the homeworking arrangement and ensure that both parties are clear on the expectations and their obligations.

We can provide further advice via our AskHR scheme and employer’s advice line.

For further advice contact Lianne Payne, Head of Employment:

Email:  Lianne@askewslegal.co 

Askews Legal LLP, 5 The Quadrant, Coventry, CV1 2EL   Tel:  024 7623 1000             www.askewslegal.co