LONE WORKER PROTECTION
THE HIDDEN WORKFORCE
The voice of lone workers must be heard in equal proportion to every other employee suggests Nick Whiteley, CEO of hfx, as he explores how to tackle the challenge most organisations face.
There are over six million lone workers in the UK, representing approximately 20% of the UK workforce. Lone workers can be found in most, if not all, organisations across industry and performing a varied set of functions for the business. The NHS, for instance, employs up to 100,000 (9% of its workforce) healthcare professionals who work on their own every single day.
There are significant challenges for organisations with lone workers that are commonly underestimated by senior management and misunderstood by managers, resulting in them being regarded as a “nuisance” or “heavy maintenance” simply because systems, processes and procedures are often designed around the majority (above 80%) office-based staff.
On-boarding processes and procedures in offices are generally well understood; desk, chair, space, landline, laptop can easily be allocated and deployed without issue, but lone workers have differing requirements, and these can easily be interpreted as staff being ‘awkward’ rather than simply having a different, personal set of requirements. This can create resentment from both sides.
Maintaining a coherent company culture, so often cultivated informally within an office environment (the so-called “water cooler” chats), is weakened through remote and lone workers, and more proactive and organised interactions and events are required to ensure company values and culture are shared and embodied equally among staff.
As important is the need to ensure positive relationships across the organisation. Whilst hierarchical structures might appear to be the main mechanism in order to execute strategy, the reality is that at ground level, it is positive relationships which are responsible for getting the job done. Remote and lone workers have less interaction and therefore the potential for less positive relationships exist and this can negatively affect productivity.
The issue of duty of care becomes more complicated when staff are not office based
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and must be dealt with thoroughly. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to consider carefully, and then deal with, any health and safety risks for people working alone. There is no magic process given that lone workers work in a variety of settings and environments, from working in a petrol station, working at home or in a care setting visiting a patient. Each scenario is different and requires a detailed analysis of risks along with a mitigation plan.
As many as 150 lone workers are either physically or verbally attacked every day according to the British Crime Survey, and the Royal College of Nursing noted that more than 6% of lone workers in the NHS had been physically attacked. This should provide a stark reminder to those responsible for risk assessment and mitigation that risks should not be treated as a theoretical tick- box exercise but a reality that needs to be addressed.
Risk assessment and mitigation must include the working environment, the tasks they are expected to carry out, the associated risks with environment and activities as well as a list of potential scenarios and how they could be addressed. This should include procedures, training, tools, technology and equipment that prevent, mitigate or provide for the ability to escape harm and/or rapid response.
The very nature of lone working means that neither colleagues or management are ‘by their side’ to help advise, assist, support the lone worker in case of an adverse event.
It is imperative that your lone workers do not become your ‘hidden’ workforce. Their voice, views and requirements must be heard in equal proportion to workers with a physical office presence. Only by ensuring they are fully integrated, engaged and considered will you be able to ensure not just their needs and safety are met but also maintain and improve productivity levels across the whole of the organisation.
hfx.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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