5 things to consider in your permanent teleworking policy

Nine out of 10 organizations plan to keep employees working remotely some or all of the time after the pandemic ends, according to a recent Canadian survey.* If a full-time or partial work-from-home model is in the future for some of your employees, now may be the time to establish a formal teleworking policy.

"When the pandemic began, many workplaces demonstrated great agility in moving employees to home offices," notes Stephen Shaw, WSPS' Director of Integrated Operations. "But it meant making decisions quickly. Going forward, we have an opportunity to think through what would work best in the long term, so that these employees are set up for success and employers can meet their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)."

Section 25(2)(h) of the OHSA requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to protect their workers, including people working from home.

5 H&S considerations for your permanent teleworking policy

A teleworking policy serves as an agreement between employers and employees that clearly defines expectations and responsibilities. Build health and safety into your policy by defining an appropriate home office environment. Here are five possible considerations.

• Ergonomics - do your teleworkers have a proper work set-up? Ensure they and their supervisors understand ergonomic principles and how to eliminate hazards. Provide guidelines on how to create an ergonomically safe home office. Conduct virtual ergonomic assessments. Regularly ask these employees if they feel pain or discomfort.
• Electrical safety - is the wiring suitable to the job's electrical demands? Overloaded outlets and overused extension cords may create electrical hazards. Share these 10 home safety tips from the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) with all employees, not just your teleworkers.
• Emergency preparedness and response - does the home have a basic first aid kit, working fire extinguisher, smoke alarm(s) and carbon monoxide detector(s), emergency response procedures, and an evacuation plan? Offer first aid training. Encourage all your employees to assemble an emergency survival kit that will sustain them and their families for at least three days immediately following an emergency.
• Physical and psychological safety - could teleworking put a vulnerable employee at risk of living with an abuser 24/7? If your workplace hasn't updated its violence and harassment policy to include teleworking, start by conducting a teleworking violence and risk assessment. Learn more from article: Take steps now to protect your teleworkers from domestic violence.
• Mental health - how can you help teleworkers stay engaged with the workplace and colleagues, and not feel isolated? Have you set realistic workload expectations, and are you encouraging your teleworkers to protect their downtime so they can recharge? Set the right tone that positively impacts mental health when interacting with employees, and help them maintain positive mental health.

How WSPS can help

• Contact a health and safety consultant to help develop or assess a permanent teleworking policy.
• Our ergonomics specialists are available to conduct virtual office assessments and provide recommendations for temporary home offices.
• Check out our collection of COVID-19 mental health resources.
• Explore our COVID-19 Hub for checklists, guidelines and more.

Reference

* Liza Agrba, "Leadership Lessons from the Worst Year Ever," Report on Business magazine, March 2021, p. 45; www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-download-the-march-2021-edition-of-report-on-business-magazine/

The information in this article is accurate as of its publication date.