While home working has many advantages, employers are responsible for the health and safety of employees working from home just as they are for employees working in a company office.
There are many risks associated with working from home, such as the impact on mental health, lack of communication leading to feelings of isolation, and musculoskeletal disorders caused by inappropriate furniture, work patterns and technology use.
Working from home has increased in popularity over recent years. In May 2023, 39% of workers said they had worked from home in the previous week. The Flexible Working Bill, which will come into effect in 2024, gives workers the right to have their flexible working requests seriously considered by their employers.
What is the Flexible Working Bill?
Under the Flexible Working Bill employees can make two requests for flexible working in the space of a year. If an employer wishes to reject a request, they must provide a thoughtful reason for doing so. An employer must respond to an employee’s request for flexible working within two months.
The new legislation means employees no longer have to explain to their employers the impact that granting their request would have on the organisation or how the change might be accommodated in the organisation.
What is flexible working?
Flexible working could be compressed working hours, term-time only hours, different start and finish times or permission to work from home, for example.
Is everyone entitled to flexible working?
All employees have the legal right to request flexible working hours. Under the Flexible Working Bill, an employee can make a request as soon as they start a new job, instead of having to wait at least 26 weeks.
What are the advantages of working from home?
Working from home gives employees more control over their schedules which reduces stress, particularly for those with long term disabilities, young children, or elderly relatives to care for. Homeworking reduces traffic on the roads, and it may have a positive environmental impact.
Homeworking also has clear benefits for organisations. They can attract talent from all over the country (and the world) and it reduces employee turnover. Research from CIPD revealed that millions of workers leave their jobs every year due to lack of flexibility.
Happier workers are 20% more productive than unhappy workers, according to Forbes, and more invested in an organisation’s success.
Working from home – what are an employer’s health and safety responsibilities?
Employers are legally responsible for the health and safety of all their employees whether they are working from home or an office.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) is the main legislation for health, safety and wellbeing in workplaces, including employees working from home. Under the Act, employers must protect the health, safety, and welfare of employees as far as is reasonably practicable.
If an organisation has homeworkers, employers must consider the risks including how they will keep in touch with them, what type of work they will be doing and whether measures need to be put in place to protect them from any health and safety hazards and harm.
Another key employer responsibility is controlling the risks associated with display screen equipment (DSE) such as employee use of PCs, laptops, tablets and devices. This is particularly important for employees are working from home on a long-term basis. Employers’ responsibilities are covered by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.
What are the potential health and safety risks of working from home?
There are various health and safety risks associated with home working.
Inappropriate equipment can cause harm. If, for example, an employee is using an unsuitable fixed chair rather than an adjustable chair, or their laptop screen is not at the correct height, it can result in musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders can be caused by poor postures leading to pain and discomfort in the neck, back, shoulders, arms and hands.
48% of people who work from a sofa or bedroom said they had developed musculoskeletal problems.
Working for a long time without a break due to tight deadlines can increase the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI), especially when using keyboards or other peripherals. Homeworkers may be less likely to take adequate breaks during the day without the structure of a communal office with visible lunch breaks. Prolonged use of screens can result in blurred vision, eye strain and fatigue.
Homeworking can also put employees at risk of slips, trips and falls, while they might also face electrical safety hazards from equipment that they use.
Working from home can impact an employee’s wellbeing and mental health too. Employees can feel disconnected from colleagues, leading to a sense of isolation. As homeworkers are working in the same place as they live, it can be hard to switch off and disconnect home and work life. Employees might work longer hours, which can cause work-related stress, and they may struggle to access support because they might feel they’re away from managers or HR support.
Overall, most employees (45%) said that homeworking was better for their health and wellbeing, compared to 29% who reported a negative impact.
How can health and safety risks be controlled?
An employer must ensure that a risk assessment of the work activities an employee carries out at home is conducted. The employee must be involved in the risk assessment process and they need to be trained about the hazards and understand how to complete any self-assessment documents.
The assessment should identify any hazards, the suitability of the home workstation and what measures are required to remove or control those risks. The employee must be made aware of the findings of the risk assessment and what is required of them.
For employees working from home on a long-term basis, a display screen equipment risk assessment should be carried out (see below).
Training, such as Praxis42 Homework Awareness course, ensures that employees who work from home occasionally or permanently are aware of the hazards and precautions they are obliged to take while at work.
To protect employees’ mental health, employers should make sure they have procedures in place to maintain frequent contact. You can then ensure you spot signs of stress, loneliness, and other issues. You may also want to appoint mental health first aiders who can spot symptoms of mental health issues and provide support.
Our Mental health and me training can help employees to better understand their mental health and it offers a range of practical self-help strategies.
Should employers provide equipment for employees working from home?
There is no general obligation for employers to provide particular equipment for employees working from home unless a risk assessment shows otherwise.
To protect the health and wellbeing of those working from home, employers should provide ergonomically designed furniture to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in line with the findings and controls in the risk assessment.
Is a DSE assessment required?
A DSE assessment is not required for employees working from home temporarily, but the Health and Safety Executive says employers should advise employees on completing a basic assessment at home. It provides a workstation checklist that employees can complete and the employer can use as part of their assessment.
A DSE assessment must examine:
- The whole workstation, including the equipment and furniture.
- The workplace environment, such as noise and lighting.
- The tasks that are being completed at the workstation.
- Any special requirements needed for people, such as those who are pregnant or have a disability.
At a practical level, an employee must be able to create the right working environment, have access to the proper communication, and be able to set up an ergonomic workstation. Download our free workstation assessment+ guide for additional guidance.
By law, employers must make provision for eye tests for DSE users if requested, and they must pay for basic glasses if an optician prescribes them for DSE use. Employers should encourage home workers to take regular breaks and monitor whether they are working more hours than reasonable or required.
The Praxis42 IOSH-approved homeworker training and workstation assessment tool can be delivered through our compliance platform (SHINE) or configured to interoperate with an employer’s pre-existing learning management platform.
We also provide Display Screen Equipment (DSE) training to help employees understand how working with display screens affects their health and how to set up an ergonomic workstation.
