Coronavirus and working from home

Ryan Church Date published: Mar 31, 20 Last updated: Jan 08, 21

One year on since the coronavirus outbreak was announced, and it’s still having a serious impact on day-to-day life. The UK started the new year going into another national lockdown, with daily case figures higher than ever as a result of the new strain of the virus. With remote working having been in place since March last year, the novelty of working from home has long since worn off. In addition, haphazardly put together workspaces which were thought to be temporary might not have proved to be suitable as time has gone on.

With the current covid restrictions set to continue for the foreseeable future, both employers and employees alike should be revising these core best practices for home working and ensuring that any gaps in health and safety are addressed.

Home working best practices

With so much change and restricted movement, it’s vital to ensure that your staff know how to remain safe, comfortable and productive whilst working from home. Check in on your teams’ workstation set up and ensure they have the correct equipment or are able to adjust accordingly depending on their living space. This includes best practices for using computer equipment at home, guidance on posture and taking regular breaks to manage screen time.

Digital infrastructure

Workplaces also need to ensure that they have the digital infrastructure in place to support processes and work activities being undertaken remotely. Things to consider include a central place for all essential documentation and a robust quality and risk management system which allows you to have continued visibility of any occurrences and relevant actions. There are plenty of digital tools out there to support communication to help keep your team connected.

Mental wellbeing and motivation

Once you have the foundations of home working covered, it’s also important to consider the mental wellbeing of your employees and what you can do to keep them motivated:

• Scheduling regular video calls to check in helps to keep everyone engaged and feel less isolated.
• Having a dedicated workspace set up helps to separate work from home life.
• Keeping to regular work hours also helps with this distinction and allows for regular communication with co-workers so that everything can still flow as smoothly as possible.
• Ensure you are still taking breaks and getting up to move around regularly too.

While this is a difficult time for everyone, we’re lucky to have the technology at our disposal to help keep things going. Our Coronavirus Awareness and Home Working Training Course covers the key things you should be doing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to keep yourself and your household safe. It also looks at the fundamentals of working from home so you can ensure that your workforce is being supported remotely. Find out more.