Originally written by Chris Salmon on Small Business
An unprecedented number of employees are continuing to work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. Small businesses new to managing remote staff are often unfamiliar with their legal health and safety responsibilities for homeworkers.
The migration to working from home (WFH) has presented many challenges for employers and employees. As companies have been forced to focus on business continuity, it is possible that remote workers’ health and safety will have been overlooked.
Legal responsibilities for homeworkers
Employers have the same legal duty of care for remote working employees.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary workplace safety legislation. The act makes no distinction between home and in-office workers.
The Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999 specifically states that “employers are responsible for the health and safety of homeworkers, as far as is reasonably practicable”.
The regulations require employers to carry out a risk assessment of their employees’ workplace.
The assessment should identify any potential risks so the employer can then seek to remove or mitigate the risk.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the home is the most common location for an accident to happen.
Although most homeworkers will be working at home
Tag Archive for Home working
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Remote working coronavirus: Am I covered by home insurance?
by Ben Rose • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Ben Rose on Small Business
When the UK government enforced social distancing back in March, hundreds of thousands of small businesses, and millions of employees, found themselves remote working almost overnight. The transition to the new working environment happened remarkably quickly, and for many businesses this digital-only world was completely new ground for them.
As we all settle into what’s been termed the “new normal” however, a number of questions are being raised about how secure businesses really are with their entire workforce working remotely, and what remote working insurance they need in place to ensure they remain fully protected.
>See also: Working from home – How to manage your time and increase productivity
Am I covered for remote working in my household insurance?
Probably not. It is unlikely that your household insurance will cover any business activities unless they have been disclosed to and agreed with your insurer.
This is because most household insurance policies are only intended to cover domestic activities and not commercial activities (which may include working from home). If you work for a company, then that company won’t be a party to your household insurance contract either, so it’s important that the company has its own insurance policy
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The GOAT (greatest of all time) guide on how to start a home business
by Legal Zoom • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Legal Zoom on Small Business
Many of us would relish the chance to put our skills and ideas to work in our very own business, not to mention the opportunity to ditch our daily commute. So then, what’s stopping us taking the next logical step and going it alone by running your business from home?
So can it really be the case that all you need to succeed as a home-based entrepreneur is your toolkit, smartphone and laptop? Well, not quite. But it’s certainly doable. This guide aims to point you in the right direction for getting your business on the go.
Is working from home the right thing for me and my business?
As always, start with your objectives before considering whether a home-based business is the best way of achieving them. With this in mind, here are two concerns common to many entrepreneurs at this stage:
“I want to do things my way…”
If you have multiple commitments to juggle, the idea of starting up from home may seem ideal. Remember that the challenge of balancing family and career doesn’t automatically disappear if you’re home-based. Yes, it’s easier in practical terms to jump from one to the other, but you’ll almost
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Bringing home into the office: How to flexibly work from home
by Owen Gough • • 0 Comments
Working from home. These three little words seem to resonate with the average British worker as strongly as cup of tea? or dress down Friday. According to a recent survey, more than 44 per cent of the UK people prefer to work from home rather than head into the office and as much as employers
The post Bringing home into the office: How to flexibly work from home appeared first on Small Business.
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Is working from home a risk to your health?
by Ben Lobel • • 0 Comments
A survey of 1,004 UK workers in full or part time work carried out by Furniture123.co.uk has revealed that while 41 per cent take work home with them at least once per week, the vast majority do not do so from a desk set up. Just one in three (34 per cent) of those who work from home claim
The post Is working from home a risk to your health? appeared first on Small Business.