Should Workplaces Introduce Licences to Work From Home?

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12 October 2023

A workplace consultancy has suggested that employers could use a licensing system to ensure workers have adequate facilities when working from home. 

Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) says that conditions when working from home change rapidly, with people working on laptops, on trains, in hotels, in bedrooms, kitchens, or in dining rooms. Organisations have a duty of care to their employees working from home enshrined in law, and they must take every reasonable endeavour to ensure the physical and mental safety of their people, whatever their location. 

"A licensing framework could assess various aspects, including whether employees have undergone adequate training and guidance for effective and safe remote work; whether they are implementing the prescribed methodologies; if they have evaluated their home office setup; if their internet connectivity supports efficient work; if their work environment fosters concentration without disruptions; if they possess the necessary skills for their roles; and whether their supervisors have received training in managing hybrid work teams.”

–Andrew Mawson

Founder – AWA

Preventing Musculoskeletal Pain

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive recommends that all home workers should have risk assessments to make sure that they have a comfortable environment to work in and that employees maintain good posture when using display screen equipment. During the pandemic, musculoskeletal pain in home workers increased as many people worked from home in less-than-ideal conditions.  More than a quarter (28.1 per cent) of UK employees reported operating from a non-work-specific home location, such as a bed, sofa or dining table. 81 per cent of employees working remotely during lockdown experienced back, neck, or shoulder pain. 

AWA feels that introducing a licensing system will help maintain high levels of performance while keeping employees physically and mentally safe, as well as ensuring leaders develop a new set of understandings and disciplines.

Andrew Mawson, Founder of AWA, said: “Organisations should establish a licensing framework to consistently validate that employees' and their working conditions are suitable to maximise performance and enable safety whilst working from home. A licensing framework could assess various aspects, including whether employees have undergone adequate training and guidance for effective and safe remote work; whether they are implementing the prescribed methodologies; if they have evaluated their home office setup; if their internet connectivity supports efficient work; if their work environment fosters concentration without disruptions; if they possess the necessary skills for their roles; and whether their supervisors have received training in managing hybrid work teams.”

The company’s recent Hybrid Index Report found that employees are not adhering to employers’ directives to attend the office anyway. According to the study, 46 per cent of offices don’t have hybrid working policies, and they see people coming in on average 1.4 days a week, which is similar to firms that demand attendance two days a week. Where organisations mandate three or four day attendance, staff only come in an average of around two days a week.

The report can be found at https://www.advanced-workplace.com/report/should-be-licensed-work-from-home

Picture: a photograph of a person using a laptop at a table. The lighting is low and the person is wearing a white hijab. Image Credit: Pexels

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 12 October 2023

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