Working from home is a crucial part of the talent retention program that we have in place for our business. We have a number of staff who work from home and it works very well – they get the flexibility that they need and we get to keep some great people who might otherwise have to move on.
So it is with some concern that I have been reading about a case where a Telstra worker who was working from home and slipped down the stairs – twice.
She successfully took action and received compensation, creating a worrying precedent – that employers are responsible for the safety of employees when they are working from home.
If you have employees working from home, you need to start thinking about this case and how it might affect you.
You may need to ask your staff members who work from home to complete a safety check and report any potential issues back to you. If there are problems, you will need to work out how to address them.
You may even need to get out to your employees house and do a check yourself.
I will be talking to my HR adviser about this. You should seek similar advice.
Get it done – today!
