Why businesses need to keep an eye on their employees working from home
With more than 60 percent of the country’s office staff now working from home, many believe employers are facing a tsunami of potential home work injury insurance claims.
CEO of Office Brands, Gavin Ward, is encouraging businesses to make the effort to ensure staff have all of the necessary office equipment and tools they need to work from home in a safe and appropriate way.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic picked up, millions of Australians were thrown into a work environment they’ve never been in before. Most Australians don’t design their home to act as their permanent office, so there are a number of risks that businesses need to be aware of during these difficult times,” Ward said.
“I’m expecting that the number of workplace injuries reported by staff will soar over the coming months. A lot of business owners simply don’t know what a safe working-from-home environment looks like and what they’re liable for.”
Office Brands is a network of office equipment and stationery brands including Office National, the Office Products Depot and a number of independently branded stores. Office Brands is Australia’s largest independent supplier of office products.
The Centre for Future Work, part of The Australia Institute, has predicted that three in 10 Australians will find themselves working from home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ward believes that a lot of business owners aren’t prepared to properly institute and monitor safe working conditions at home.
“There is a long list of things that business owners need to worry about when their employees are working from home. In an ideal world, you need to be aware of things as small as your employees’ posture. You need to be sure that employees aren’t using cheap furniture that is prone to breaking. A lot of employees don’t know basics like how high their desk and chair should be. Now would be a good time teach them,” Ward said.
“The ergonomics of your chair plays an enormous role in ensuring that you don’t get long-term back problems. Ideally, you need a reasonable quality office chair when working in a home office.”
According to a leading personal injury lawyer, businesses could be liable for workplaces injuries that happen at home.
“Just because someone is working from home, doesn’t mean that employers’ obligations are lessened. All employers have a legal duty to ensure as far as possible that their staff have a safe environment in which to work,” a leading personal injury lawyer said about the importance of good work practices at home.
“The legal position is no different despite many in the workforce now working from home. The welfare of all members of the workforce is not only a legal requirement; it also manages risk prudently.
“Just as importantly the evidence is that a safe and comfortable workforce is a productive workforce. It just doesn’t pay to cut corners with worker safety at any time. Good quality equipment is a vital part of that equation and a sensible investment.”
According to Ward, employees should want to ensure they have a safe at-home working environment as well. He believes that employees shouldn’t just leave their safety in their employer’s hands.
“Work safety at home isn’t just something employers need to worry about. Employees need to take it into their own hands as well. If you’re an employee, having safe working equipment at home is imperative for your own health and safety,” Ward said.
“At home, you’re at risk of mixing your at-home comfort with your work life. Don’t work on the couch or the bed and don’t slouch. Basically, when you’re working from home, don’t make yourself at home.”
“If you can prove to your employer that you’re a safe at-home worker, you can convince them to allow you to occasionally work at home even when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. I can see COVID reshaping the way people work across the country. I can also see home work injuries becoming a big issue unless things such as ergonomics and set up are well managed.
“At Office Brands, we are finding that many businesses are not only purchasing office equipment for their staff at home, they are using our set up service to make sure the equipment is properly installed and the working area safe for use.”
Office Brands has been operating since 1999 following the merger of three of the largest office suppliers in Australia. Office National is their oldest supplier but they also have Office Products Depot (2003), O-Net (2009) and Office Power (2015).
www.officeproductsdepot.com.au
www.officebrands.com.au
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