Industry Insights
How to Make the Most of Our New Way of Working
By Mitti Team23 Jun 20226 min read
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS6 min read
You think your maintenance program is perfect, so why are you still losing money?
Explore strategies for adapting to hybrid and remote work environments while maintaining productivity and engagement
Learn how to leverage digital tools and flexible policies to support diverse work styles and team collaboration
Discover actionable insights for building resilience and fostering a positive workplace culture in changing times
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I was recently asked to take part in a webinar with Grow Remote to discuss Health and Safety matters whilst working remotely. We discussed my experience with remote working, as well as employers' and employees’ legal requirements regarding health and safety.
Working remotely wasn’t new to me when COVID and the request to ‘work from where you can’ kicked in. I managed the Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QSHE) aspects for a freight forwarding company with 28 sites across UK and Ireland. For that position, I was unable to be at all the sites at once, and my team was small, so we worked remotely and visited sites regularly.
Remote work suits me. For one, I feel more productive control of my performance and output. It also fitted my work-life balance as a single mum.
During COVID and the introduction of technology, I was able to meet and see more people across the business from a global perspective. We worked together to manage the unprecedented situation we are all dealing with. Some team members preferred the regular interaction and ‘normal’ way of working, and there were some issues during the lockdown.
We were all there, and we all have our own stories about the managed, or didn’t, during the pandemic. There are definite positives we can take away from how we worked during those two years.
For example, we learned to embrace technology like Zoom and Teams, which has improved collaboration and transparency within the business. Well-being topics were raised higher up the agenda in Health and Safety meetings, and managing the mental health of our colleagues has become a new skill for many managers I have spoken to. In fact, hybrid working is a new aspect that some people look for when applying for new positions. To support this shift, you can use eSIM as a digital nomad or remote worker to stay connected while on the go. With eSIM, remote workers can avoid roaming fees, easily switch between networks for stronger connections, and access seamless connectivity across regions, making it a valuable tool for a mobile lifestyle. Whether working from Europe, the APAC region, or Australia, eSIM keeps you connected even in more remote areas allowing for the flexibility to work from virtually anywhere. This flexibility is a game-changer for remote workers in digital nomad countries, making it easier to achieve a balance between work and travel, creating more enriching work experiences.
The way we work has changed and is still developing. Employers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees wherever they are working, whether in in-house offices, remote offices, or virtual office space. Working remotely brings more challenges for employers due to hazards such as:
Well-being
Tripping over the cat
Sitting on the sofa using a laptop
Burning yourself on hot water from the kettle
Poorly maintained electrical cables
Feeling isolated from limited social interactions
Given this, how are employers expected to manage these risks?
Training and raising awareness is a good first port of call.
Training doesn’t have to be in the form of a formal lesson. For example, it could be a communication alert (Heads Up) reminding people to check the integrity of their electric cables. It could also come in the form of short incentivized sessions on their mobile device that encourages employees to consider their safety in the home (EdApp).
In my opinion, raising awareness of safety at home is an aspect that has been missing from the agenda of many businesses. For example, there are campaigns like the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’(RoSPA) Safe@Work-Safe@Home initiative sponsored by Loreal.
Involving families and friends to consider health and safety outside of the workplace is a great way of increasing awareness and encouraging employees to take ownership of their own safety outside of the workplace. It also helps to remember that there is a fine line between being patronising and raising awareness. At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for safety inside and outside the workplace.
Carrying out risk assessments is the foundation of good safety practices and a legal requirement. Employers have the responsibility of identifying and managing risk in the workplace. However, if the workplace is someone’s home, this can be a challenge.
Display screen assessments can be completed remotely if designed well. Within the Mitti (by SafetyCulture) public template library in Mitti (by SafetyCulture), there are a few examples of well-designed templates that can be used to provide training and instruction and carry out an assessment.
During the pandemic, I used this process to review nearly 700 workstations without violating anyone’s home. If their score was below 80 percent, we called the individual on Teams and used our cameras for a one-to-one discussion. This process allowed us to support and advise them to ensure their workstation and work situation was adequate. And if it wasn’t, we’d discuss options and controls with their manager.
Having conversations with people is a great way to develop an open and honest culture which is important with hybrid and remote working.
The employer must provide a channel where employees can report any issues they are having. The culture within the business should be developed so that employees feel comfortable doing so. Moreover, it should be easy and quick to report.
The appropriate people must be notified of the reported issue so that it can be acted upon (Issues). After all, there is nothing worse than reporting an issue or a good idea with no response or acknowledgement.
If employees see actions from their reports, they are more likely to report again, which will continually improve the culture within your business.
The data generated by all of this reporting and communication can be overwhelming. It’s also vital because if you don’t measure, you can’t control it.
It’s useful to have a dashboard that shows you what trends are occurring in real-time. Doing so ensures compliance with processes and a transparent overview for management. The Mitti Platform has an analytical tool within the main dashboard or the capability of using API integrations by exporting data into a current company system.
Using technology to engage with a hybrid/remote workforce is fundamental. Not only does it streamline everyday work, but it also improves engagement, communication, and a continual improvement of a safety culture.
Finally, and on a side note, a question I am asked the most is, "Are we [the business] liable for an accident in the employee’s home if they work remotely?"
I’m not a solicitor, but I feel that this article by the IOSH Magazine covers it well. As a business, you’re on the best path to keeping your employees safe when working remotely at home as long as you have:
identified and managed the risks;
provided employees with adequate work equipment with suitable instruction, supervision, and training; and
delivered a reporting process with a communication route for employees.
