As more of us are working at home than ever before, make sure your employees have a safe set-up to ensure their wellbeing is protected.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, so do the ways in which we live our lives. For the working world, one major impact has been the increase in the number of people now working from home.
Whether your employees are currently working from home for some or all of the working week, it is vital their workplace is safe and comfortable for them.
Safe and suitable workspace
Employers have a duty of care to ensure their employees’ seating is safe and suitable. For employees working from home, there are many resources to advise them of how to maximise the efficiency and comfort of their workspace setting including:
Health & Safety Executive: Temporary home working
Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors: Home working and staying healthy
Regular breaks
The ‘new normal’ for home working means a change in the usual office-based activities: no walking to meeting rooms, no tracking down a colleague on a different floor and no making the tea rounds. It can be all too easy to remain seated without a break for several hours, especially if your employee has several Zoom meetings scheduled in any given day.
Therefore, it is important employers encourage their staff to people to take regular breaks from their workspace and replace to offset fatigue and remain healthy.
‘Down time’
If it is possible and safe to do so, encourage your employees to go outside of their home at least once during the day. Fresh air and a change of setting away from their workspace will help improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Regular exercise before or after the working day can help to increase concentration levels, boost people’s mood and improve quality of sleep.