We are now in the middle of Week 7 in the COVID-19 lockdown - how are your staff coping?
Homeworkers have probably found some kind of routine for the temporary working ways; but have they found the right routine? There was a discussion on Radio 2 this week (Jeremy Vine) in regards to the number of people who have been working at home and now starting to suffer with upper limb and lower limb disorders as well as other illnesses relating to use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE).
For people working at home on a daily basis, the risks associated with DSE use such as PC's, laptops, tablets and smartphones, must be controlled by doing home workstation assessments. To help you on this matter, I have designed an online form which can easily be forwarded to your staff for completion. Click on the photo below to see an example of this form for yourself.
If any school would like assistance to complete this form for their own school with follow up guidance provided by me reviewing any assessments, contact me for details.
There may be other issues associated with working from home that your staff would be interested in too. Additional costs incurred by staff working at home may or may not be covered by the employer. If costs such as DSE equipment or household expenses are not being reimbursed they may be able to claim a deduction on tax relief. This is a complicated scheme which has been addressed by an accountant which can be accessed by clicking here.