MANUAL HANDLING & ERGONOMICS
These may help the home-worker assess all of the essential criteria of a workplace including noise, air quality, ventilation, lighting, visual hazards, storage, access, space, suitability of furniture, trip hazards, electrical safety, ergonomics and emergency arrangements.
In addition to self-assessment, many organisations request that each member of staff sends an image of their workspace, or provides a live stream of their area via a webcam. An expert who can determine whether the space is adequate can then review these images. This assessment can then be followed up by the remote support required to implement any changes.
workspace should be kept separate from the home, and be specifically and exclusively reserved as a working area. Equally, work related equipment such as filing, stationary, PCs, printers, laptops etc., should all be stored and kept in this space.
This way, the workplace is divided from the home eliminating any risk or impact that exists as a result of having a home office. Once the space is selected, it is easier to contain it as a safe workstation, and then a thorough risk assessment can be made, followed by necessary adjustments to ensure the area is risk free, safe and ergonomically sound.
ASSESS YOURSELF The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) states that a risk assessment of the homeworking environment must be carried out, and that any health and safety risks must be identified and controlled.
There are various ways in which the assessment of a home workplace can take place depending on how you would prefer to approach the task. If you would prefer a more informal approach, remote workers can carry out their own self-assessments using checklists, guidance information or questionnaires.
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Alternatively, you may wish to undertake a more formal approach to the assessment by clearly specifying exactly what furniture, equipment, dimensions of space and conditions are required. Some large organisations that have a high number of homeworkers find it easier to recruit a permanent risk assessor to assess and periodically monitor each homeworker’s environment. Any issues can be addressed on the visit and changes can be made immediately to ensure safety. Obviously this is a much more costly undertaking.
ISOLATION AND STRESS Stress is one of the biggest causes of long-term absence and can be significantly raised by isolation. This is partly due to the fact that the stress experienced when working at home is not as easily defused through communication, as it would be in a traditional workplace.
Removal of a worker from the office means that the opportunity to communicate (or vent) with colleagues no longer exists. Impromptu events – a quick coffee, a meal, a chat on a break or an after work social occasion – become non-existent.
In addition, the commute on the way home is also lost, which has been proven to allow workers to unwind. There is also significant risk that the employee feels isolated and loses a sense of identity within the organisation, increasing the likelihood of the employee leaving.
It is therefore critical that managers maintain contact with the homeworker to avoid any feelings of isolation. Interaction through instant messaging, video conferencing, team intranet pages and various social media applications, should always be encouraged. Phone or video communication is always more personal, immediate and effective than email. Online secure collaboration platforms such as Huddle and Yammer also facilitate this form of interaction and collaboration.
In addition, face-to-face interaction should be encouraged by arranging regular social gatherings with teams and routine meetings in the office, so colleagues maintain a good level of contact. Providing a well-designed and attractive workplace with areas and facilities for visiting staff encourages them to willingly visit the office and use it as a workplace.
This can be achieved by creating a more flexible working environment using open desk policies, lockers, activity based environments, café style hubs and casual spaces for impromptu meetings. If a workspace supports agile working, remote workers are more likely to use it, and therefore the likelihood of isolation will drop.
THE RIGHT TOOLS Often remote workers will move to and from their home and the office, or even further afield. In this case equipment such as laptop risers (or laptop stands), wireless mice, fold up keyboards and lightweight equipment and bags (that are designed specifically to move certain equipment), should always be provided. Rucksacks, laptop bags and wheeled trollies will also reduce the risks associated with moving equipment and implementing a cloud storage strategy will further reduce the amount of equipment being moved.
Remote working is one of the aspects of a flexible working regime that will help improve staff morale, productivity and work-life balance, as well as reducing workplace stress. It needs to be carefully considered and planned however, and appropriate equipment, facilities, training, policies and procedures must be provided.
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