Training your team for remote working

What responsibilities and employer has towards employees working remotely

Adapting to the new normal

You may have seen my previous posts, and if you have you will quickly realise that I am not a big fan of remote working for myself. Many people are progressing in leaps and bounds in the home office environment, smashing targets and outperforming a regular office several times over.

Which is why some employers are choosing to ask their employees to work from home indefinitely.

I see this as a bold step for some organisations, as the pinnacle of success in their sector is a big high rise office in London, bristling with the latest technology and filled with eager minds, crashing against each other to bring on the next innovative wave of cutting edge design. But, to remove the status symbol and ask employees to begin again in their own homes could be considered a backwards move. I’m choosing to see this as a strategic play from employers, because (apart from the obvious money-saving from not owning or renting the property) this gives the workplace a chance to rid itself of the dangerous stigma of depersonalisation and employees being just numbers.

The interpersonal connections that were becoming toxic in high-pressure job roles are being reset, meaning that health and safety subject such as mental health can be addressed and safeguarded against, future-proofing elements of business continuity. Don’t get me wrong, I want to go back to my office. But let’s give remote working a good shot first, before dismissing it. So we need to take a good look at this question if remote working may be here to stay:

What are the training needs?

Mental health awareness

It goes without saying that this whole scenario is challenging on a lot of things, especially the mental wellbeing and robustness of an isolated worker who has been thrust into an alien workplace. Numbers are starting to reflect that we need to be in front of this before it cascades

The list is ongoing, with your teams’ help it is possible to find the correct balance of productivity and compliance in this situation. Let’s not forget that HSE (Health and Safety Executive) is preparing to mount a nationwide inspection process to get a full impact on what is going on in the workplace

As always, the answer to your questions is just a call away. Let us know if there is any other training that concerns you and we will help you get that balance.

Health and safety in the workplace

This makes the list because although a home environment is considered safe in normal circumstances, some of your work activities may become dangerous if not assessed properly. Simple things, like what to do if the 4 gang extension plug set you plugged into another extension lead suddenly catches fire. Don’t lie, I know it’s there.

Lone working

It may not seem the most logical choice of training for your team, but if their work takes them anywhere away from the normal place of work, they will need to complete a lone workers risk assessment to see if they may be exposed to a risk that will isolate them from help. A classic example is home bakeries that have moved from commercial premises.

DSE (Display Screen Equipment) safety

This one is useful for people who are not used to sitting in front of a computer or smart device all day, but a this is a requirement for anyone using display screen equipment as part of their normal working day

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