| Since March 2020, working from home has been essential for many organisations, and we have all learned to live with it. To some extent it has been very positive and has helped show some employers that they can trust the majority of staff to work effectively whilst they are away from the workplace, and many employees have welcomed the flexibility that often goes with it (such as working at times to suit the employee, juggling child care and home-schooling around work, and working from a lap top in bed (or is that just me!))
Not everyone has welcomed it, however, particularly if they do not have a suitable work space or supportive home environment. Some staff have suffered mental health problems as a consequence and that has had a knock-on effect with their performance.
As we hopefully emerge from lockdown and get back towards a life living with COVID, it is time to consider how work will be managed in future. If home-working is something you can accommodate in the longer term, it would be a good idea to consult with staff to see what they think. In many cases permanent home-working may be feasible, or it could be a hybrid approach with a combination of home- and office-working.
If home-working is going to remain for the foreseeable future, we would recommend that you update or introduce an appropriate working from home policy. We can work with you to develop one that works best for you. We would need to consider factors such as the need for a suitable and safe working environment (you still have a duty to maintain a safe working environment when someone works from home); IT connectivity and equipment; maintaining team working and considering the social aspects of work; monitoring and assessment of work; and financial aspects.
Please contact us if you would like to update or introduce a home-working policy. |
