The risks of home working

The risks of home working revealed

New office and recruitment drive for innovative Nottingham tech firm

Fellowes Brands is calling on employers and the public to act now to future-proof the health of the nation, as lack of clarity around home working legislation could put workers at risk

Research from global healthy workspace solutions provider, Fellowes Brands, with its UK head office based in Doncaster, reveals the alarming impact home working is having on the mental wellbeing and physical health of the nation. Over a third (35%) of UK workers admit feeling stressed or anxious while nearly half (49%) have experienced more physical strain while working from home.

Current legislation around home working states that it is only a legal requirement for employers to provide workstation risk assessments if employees are ‘permanent’ home workers.

“Employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as for any other workers. The coronavirus pandemic has meant more people are now working from home, a trend we are likely to see continue,” said Kizzy Augustin, Health & Safety Partner at Russell Cooke Solicitors. “This means an increase in flexible or hybrid working between office and home, so employers need to take responsibility, be proactive and work collaboratively, to continually review and adapt working practices for their employees. Current regulations are somewhat outdated and do not necessarily reflect modern working practices. If there is a permanent shift to new ways of hybrid working, legislation and associated guidance should be updated to ensure it remains relevant and protects the health, safety and welfare of employees.”

Despite the common perception that home working means a better work/life balance, nearly half (47%) work longer hours when working from home, compared to in the office. One-in-five feel guilty taking a break and 29% are too busy to do so. It is no surprise, then, that nearly half (49%) experience more physical strain working from home, with over a quarter suffering strained eyes (27%), stiff neck (27%), a sore or aching back (26%), and headaches (25%).

‘Employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home

workers’ While working from home is placing physical strain on workers and negatively impacting their mental health, most people (89%) are keen to continue working at home in the future. Fellowes Brands is calling for employees’ health and wellbeing to be more of a key focus for the future, as just 29% of senior-level decision makers are considering the introduction of specific guidelines or regulations around home working, welfare or equipment provision. Renowned Yorkshire Recruitment Specialist, Nigel Brewster, Chief Executive of Brewster Partners Recruitment Group ,said: “An employer’s brand value proposition may be well-crafted, but many will be destroyed by simply failing to provide homeworkers with equipment that’s pretty mandatory in the corporate office. We are already seeing this new dimension as employees question just how much their employers and prospective employers really care about their wellbeing and truly value them as a brand asset. In my opinion this will only increase over the coming months.”

Home working can cause physical strain

Fast-growing Nottingham hospitality tech firm Groubook has relocated its head office to the city centre to facilitate its ambitious growth plans.

The business is looking to take on additional staff to tie in with lockdown restrictions easing and the hospitality sector beginning to reopen.

Groubook, which was launched last year, lets groups book, organise and arrange nights out online and take advantage of a wide range of discounts and rewards.

But within months of launching, the business was forced to go on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the hospitality sector.

Now the founders have ambitious plans for growth, starting with moving to their new premises in Ronald Street and taking on six new team members to enable the next stage of growth.

Groubook launched in Nottingham in August 2020 just after the first lockdown restrictions began to ease and saw rapid initial take-up with numbers growing by 250% in the first six weeks.

Founder Bradley Gough launched the innovative app with fellow founders Ollie Pod, Chief Operating Officer, and Sam Famulare, Chief Growth Officer.

Following the early success, the business was forced to put plans on hold as the pandemic forced further restrictions on the British public and the hard hit hospitality sector.

But the tech start-up from Nottingham has turned the crisis into an opportunity as Groubook allows bars and restaurants to easily

Groubook’s new head office

sell pre-booked slots to customers, allowing them to effectively control numbers.

While under unusual trading circumstances, Groubook believes they can give independent bars and restaurants a head start when they’re able to open for business and help them recoup some of the losses from the last ten months.

Commenting on the new office and recruitment drive, founder and CEO Bradley Gough, said: “We can’t wait for when the hospitality sector starts back up and all our existing partners and potential new partners can start trading again.

“We are excited to offer our users and partners a more comprehensive service than we did moving forward. Hospitality as an industry has been beaten up in the last year and we’re planning to help to bring it back, bigger and better than ever before by offering our partners more functionality, better integration and lower costs and offering our users a simple way of getting together with friends.

“For us to do this effectively, we needed a new larger office space, and more ambitious colleagues to help drive this forward and realise our growth potential.

“Our plans for growth are ambitious and despite everything that’s happened this year, we’re confident we’ll achieve them.

“Once restrictions begin to ease, we’re ready to go full steam ahead and support Nottingham’s hospitality sector as it starts to rebuild.”

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