Description

At the time of writing this book, it is estimated that up to 700 000 people were working from home because of COVID-19 pandemic and the Government’s advice was that everyone who can work from home, should do so. There are significant concerns for home working employees who have had to adapt to their new office environment in their homes. Such issues as poorly designed workstations, insufficient or incorrect lighting, isolation, weak broadband and incorrect equipment will all lead to problems down the line.
In response to this unprecedented situation, the Government produced the Return to Work Safely Protocol (May 2020), which it then replaced with the Work Safely Protocol (20 November 2020). The latter obliges employers to put in place a home working policy which reflects both your own and your employer’s responsibilities. Employers must make sure that workers are aware of their obligation to report any issues, and when workers report issues employers are obliged to address them.
In the first part of this book, you will find out about the legal framework that applies to home working and about the general responsibilities it creates for employers and employees to ensure the health & safety of workers when they are working from home. In the second part, you will learn about practicalities of working safely from home and the specific issues that home workers have to face.
Overall this book has been written for the benefit of employees whose work environment has changed and who find themselves working from home: ‘A NEW ERA’