The Covid-19 pandemic has forced businesses to very quickly engage in a nationwide remote working experiment.
On March 23rd, the Government advised that many companies around the United Kingdom must temporarily close and allow their employees to work remotely where possible.
Before the pandemic, 5% of the 33 million people employed in the UK (approximately 1.7 million people) were working from home. In the last few weeks, this number is expected to have risen closer to 50%.
Just under two thirds of employees say they prefer remote working to their office, according to a survey by Waveform, and almost half wish it was permanent.
However, many employers that have never accommodated remote workers are finding the transition challenging.
Manchester-based HR experts Citation are helping employers through these unprecedented changes with a free guide to temporary remote working.
Their white paper addresses concerns about insurance, cybersecurity and health and safety whilst employees are performing their tasks from home.
A study conducted by Shred-It found that 86% of C-suite executives feel that the risk for data breaches is significantly higher with remote work.
Citation advises that employers concerned about cybersecurity should “consider the cost and availability of additional equipment, IT hardware and software to facilitate home working” as part of their planning.
Meanwhile, the HR experts remind employers that they continue to “have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of employees whether working from home or in the workplace” including performing DSE tests.
In regards to equipment, Citation recommends that businesses come to an agreement with their staff to protect it from being stolen or damaged.
“It would be sensible to ask them to sign an agreement acknowledging receipt of the equipment, reminding them of their obligation to look after it and allowing you to deduct monies from their wages for any damage,” the white paper says.
It also suggests confirming whether equipment is insured from an employee’s home address.
The UK government extended the lockdown for at least three weeks on April 16th. However, there is little indication of when businesses will re-open and employees will be able to return to the office.
