Planning ahead for homeworking

The coronavirus pandemic has seen an abrupt global shift towards homeworking, but what started as a reactive and temporary working solution based on employee safety has evolved considerably over the past 12 months.

Here are some key areas employers can focus on for successfully supporting homeworking employees in the future.

Communication is key

It's important those working from home don't feel 'out of sight and out of mind'. Video meetings have been invaluable, but beware of 'Zoom fatigue' - consider whether other methods such as email, phone or messaging apps might be more appropriate, depending on the type of message you want to get across.

Plan from the outset how often you check in. Weekly team updates are a useful way of communicating any work or wider business updates.

Ensure a productivity balance

As working habits have transformed, some employees feel they need to demonstrate their value more while working remotely. Lack of presence in the office can lead some employees to feel they have to be available at all times.

Consider having conversations with employees regarding working hours. Do they have fixed start and end times or can you be more flexible? Employers can also set expectations around when employees should be available, or outline expected response times. This can help combat the issue of presenteeism.

Employers should also encourage employees to speak up if they are beginning to feel overwhelmed. Regular check-ins to discuss priorities can be an effective way of ensuring work is distributed fairly and nobody is overworked.

Have an engagement strategy

Some employees might miss swinging their chair round for a chat or to ask questions. Setting up online knowledge-sharing or best practice sessions could help to fill this gap. Ensuring employees are able to communicate freely with each other will also help stimulate collaboration and combat isolation. Investing in platforms with a chat or instant messaging function could give employees space to replicate 'water cooler' chat.

Keep focus on mental and physical well-being

Investing in training for managers could be crucial to spotting the early-warning signs if employees are struggling. Businesses could invest in well-being and resilience courses to support mental health in the workplace.

Homeworking has increased the risk of employees suffering from musculoskeletal and upper limb disorders. Consider circulating information on simple desk exercises and stretches to encourage employees to keep moving during the day.

Another unwanted side effect is eye problems associated with additional screen time - regular breaks from screens should be encouraged. Mentor advises companies maintain a policy on using display screen equipment (DSE), and employers must provide an eye test if a worker asks for one.

Employers have a duty to protect their workers from the health risks of working with DSE. If employees use display screens continuously for an hour or more a day as part of their normal work, then a workstation assessment needs to be completed, irrespective of whether the employee is working from home or at the office.

While an employer cannot be expected to provide a brand-new home office for every homeworker, they will need to supplement an employee's home workstation where necessary to ensure a safe working environment and a safe system of work.

Ensure any new contractual arrangements are documented

With the challenges of navigating between various lockdowns, many employers may simply have forgotten to formalise new working arrangements.

Any temporary or permanent change should be documented, and any relevant alteration letters or updated contracts issued, in order to save disputes and potential legal claims.

Businesses can also consider formalising any conditions behind the new arrangements. For example, will employees still be required to attend the office for meetings or events, or will they have a set number of 'check-in' days each month? Employers should consider now what will work effectively when stay-at-home requirements are eased.

How Mentor could support you as the pandemic continues

If you're an existing Mentor customer, visit MentorDigital, where we host a range of tools, templates and guidance to help you plan for the longer-term changes to ways of working, including our dedicated coronavirus hub.

If you're not an existing Mentor customer and would like to talk about how we might help your business, call us today on 0800 074 8151 or sign up to our free MentorDigital platform. Customers with hearing and speech impairments can contact us via Relay UK on 18001 0800 074 8151.

Please note that Mentor services incur a cost.