2 minute read
COVID you have a lot to answer for
Don’t get me wrong I have always been a strong supporter and still are of flexible work, work from anywhere, work from home and work-life balance. But believe me, it was far easier prior to COVID when we were in the minority, but now it’s becoming more mainstream. John McCluskey, Managing Director at Whizdom Recruitment and APSCo Director, deliberates.
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Reduced travel time and saving on travel and parking. More flexibility to have a better work life balance, can put a load of washing on during the day. Pick the kids up from school, take the dog and yourself for a walk. Employer can reduce office space and save rent and utilities Workers will celebrate the change, show loyalty to employer, be financially better off and improve efficiency because there wellbeing has increased.
Hold on, just taking off my reality check glasses? So now home is a workplace, and employers have an obligation to keep their workers safe while at work. So, this now means I now need to ensure my employees are safe at home and work, via two workplace assessments, provide an ergonomic desk and chair, dual monitors, and whatever else they cannot carry regularly from the office if they are working a hybrid work pattern. So, my costs have gone up, and what about utilities and internet should we be paying for those?
Workers compensation does that cover your staff at home, and now to and from both “work” locations? Are they required to check-in at home via a COVID app and other family and visitors to the home? You laugh I hear. But we know, or you should know, that if a worker catches COVID from the workplace and not all precautions have been taken, the employer may be liable, so does this apply to those now working from home, and what if they do unfortunately catch COVID, have a slip, trip, hurt back lifting that washing at home on work time, are we as the employer now responsible? What effect is this now having on my insurance premiums?
As recruiters we are seeing a large amount of people only interested in working full time from home or remote and requesting salaries and contract rates that are excessively more than they were previously being paid prior to COVID while in controlled office spaces.
My response has been, so if this job can be done 100% remote, in theory this job can be done by anyone and anywhere in the world. So, are you the best person in the world for this role and the most cost effective?
Food for thought ….
