Are employers sitting on a homeworking time bomb?

Asbestos, deafness and repetitive strain injury have all led to personal injury claims, often decades after the cause, so, what homeworking time bomb might we be sitting on today? Homeworking provides a clue.

Office desks and chairs are ergonomically designed for office work. Dining room tables and chairs are designed for, well, dining. Commuting fosters mobility. Home working is usually sedentary. A home worker could spend more than thirty hours a week sat at work. Add non-work time to that and many adults spend 9 hours a day sat. (www.nhs.uk). The NHS suggests that over six hours per day is excessive.

These are the fallouts from excessive sitting: obesity, type-2 diabetes, loss of muscle mass, sciatica, loss of bone mass, increased cholesterol, and, over years, certain cancers.

It isn’t just homeworkers who are at risk, office workers, drivers and checkout operators can all be sat for a large part of their working day.

While it is employees who may be doing the sitting, the bomb (employer’s liabilities) can be set for 20 years.

Here are some suggestions to help defuse the risk:

Designate lifts to be used for goods and those with a mobility disability only (if lifts are only a few storeys)
Advise employees on seating arrangements
Provide digital phones so employees can stand while on the phone
Zoom and phones may be efficient, but walking along the corridor is healthier
Encourage tea/coffee breaks (perhaps standing by the machine)
For long term home-workers, provide ergonomically sound seating
Perhaps homeworking is not the answer
Set pop-up warnings when an employee’s screen-time exceeds limits
Consider split shifts or alternating non-sedentary activities, where possible
Extend the day to allow a full hour lunch so employees have time for a walk
Locate offices near a town centre or accessible countryside