P18 Cable Management CMD:Layout 1 28/09/2021 11:08 Page 18 CableManagement
Hybrid working could help drive sales for office equipment
Ergonomic workstations with plug and play charging for laptops and mobile devices are needed at home and in the office.
A laptop stand and height adjustable monitor arm enables rapid workstation set up for agile working.
Stephen Roberts,head of sales at CMD Ltd,a specialist in workstation power, connectivity and ergonomics, discusses the opportunity for electrical wholesalers as employers adapt to permanent agile working models.
F
or years, working from home was largely the privilege of senior management. However, the pandemic
forced companies to enable staff at all levels to work from home if they could and, aſter a period of adjustment, the involuntary experiment has generated some unexpected results. Far from seeing a drop in productivity, many
employers actually noticed an upturn in motivation and efficiency when people worked from home. Working days became more flexible, wasted commuting time became productive work time, and digital systems combined with video meeting apps kept everyone connected. But if agile working is to be part of companies’ operational strategy for combining reduced overheads with flexibility, makeshift arrangements that were acceptable on a temporary basis are not acceptable as part of a permanent move to a hybrid office and home working model. The duty of care and health and safety best practice that applies in the office must also be applied at home, which means that companies will need to invest in safe and robust equipment for their team’s home offices, as well as considering how hot desking in the office affects their electrical equipment and distribution.
Taking workplace standards home One of the biggest challenges for employers is that no two employees’ homes are the same. In an office fit-out, consistency enables due diligence across specification, maintenance and health and safety management, with scheduled PAT testing of electrical equipment throughout
18 | electrical wholesalerOctober 2021
their lifecycle. As companies move to a hybrid of hot desking in the office and working from home, they will need to consider both the portability of devices between the two locations and the speed and ease of set-up at any workstation in the office or at home. They will also need to think about safety.
The BS 6396 standard restricts the number of sockets fed from a single 13A plug in commercial environments to prevent overloading or excessive earth leakage. While the standard does not usually apply to domestic properties, if an employee is being mandated to work from home, the employer is effectively making their home part of the workplace for the allocated number of days per week that they are home- based. As a result, BS 6396 compliance should be the aim for all companies with a working from home policy to ensure the home work environment is as safe as the office, thereby protecting both people and equipment.
Stephen Roberts
Advising on the right solution Some companies are already on board with the need to invest some of their operational cost savings in equipment to enable employees to work safely and efficiently at home, but if they simply provide a grant for employees to buy what they need, who is monitoring whether their choices are safe, fit for purpose and ergonomically suitable? Moreover, if every employee spends their own allowance on their personal selection, the opportunity for consistency, standardised maintenance intervals and routine replacement is lost. Companies’ investment in home office equipment should be co-ordinated and guided by expertise to ensure it is suitable, compatible with their existing equipment and fully tested and certified. Wholesalers have an important role to play in this, providing guidance to companies that want to do the right thing but don’t know what they need to ensure the safety of their choices and longevity of their investment. There is also a need for wholesalers to be
New hybrid models of home and office working may also include use of co-working spaces and cafés and work environments.
proactive in communicating the message about safety and compliance for home working environments to electrical contractors. As companies re-fit their offices to adjust to new hot desking and occupancy density, there is scope for the whole supply chain to highlight the need for a joined up approach between the office and home workplace and the importance of tested and robust solutions from trusted manufacturers. We are still in a period of change, and with change comes opportunity. As companies invest in evolving their work environments, it’s up to electrical wholesalers to embrace the opportunity.
ewnews.co.uk
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