FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
By Loraine Perkins Owner / Co-Founder, DSE Assessments Ltd
The notion of ‘remote working’ is not uncommon these days. Many, if not most office-based businesses offer some form of hybrid / flexible working to some, if not all their workforce.
But when I met with a client recently to hear about their ‘Global Remote Working’ policy, I was gobsmacked. Under this new business policy, anyone in their workforce could apply to work remotely, from anywhere in the world, for the whole of July & August – GENIUS!
‘Work-Life balance’ has been a phrase that has dominated our consciousness over recent years, and to me, this ‘Global Remote Working’ policy is the epitome of providing your employees exactly that.
So why aren’t more employers affording this flexibility to their staff?
Put simply, they’re SCARED! My client had approached me about their policy because although they wanted to implement it for their employees, they simply didn’t know how to put it into practice. It’s far easier to manage Health & Safety when an employee is onsite, at home, or at least in the country!
Employers have a duty of care to employees, so how can we legislate for this with a globetrotting workforce?
It’s quite simple:
- Assess risks
- Agree processes
- Provide training
Providing you are covering these key areas you will have covered your statutory responsibility for your employees Health & Safety – the rest is down to the individual employee to act responsibly and manage their own wellbeing whilst ‘at work’.
Identifying Risks
Each business will have their own considerations, but here are a few main points to include:
- Location – What time zone (s) will they be in? Will they be required to work ‘UK hours’ and is that practically doable?
- Environment – Will they be at a suitable table? Or at least somewhere practical to set up a safe workstation?
- Accessibility – Can the employee guarantee access to a stable wi-fi connection to facilitate effective working?
Implementing Processes
To support your remote workers, it’s important to have processes or clear guidance around the following:
- Mitigation – Ensuring the employee understands their responsibility for ensuring compliance to company regulations
- Communication – To keep lone workers connected with the office/team/managers
- Points of Escalation – Who to contact and how, should any issues arise
Solid Training
The main topics to cover are:
- Basic Safety (including electrical & fire safety)
- DSE posture training
- Guidance on taking breaks, effective stretches to minimise risk etc
Once the above is in place, you can allow employees to ‘apply’ for the opportunity of global remote working. You then need to assess each case to ensure its practicality and whether a suitable level of Health & Safety compliance is feasibly possible.
So, if a new, exciting and enticing employee benefit has been on your mind, then do it! The benefits of a good work-life balance can enhance productivity, increase creativity, promotes loyalty and encourages active engagement from your employees – what you give, you will get back tenfold.
