You have a PM

There is a distinct difference between what is a normal home worker e.g. one of your sales reps spending an administration day on their laptop compared to the office staff normally hooked up to a desk top PC all week.

Firms need to recognise productivity will be lower as employees who are normally office based adjust to working on their own (non-business) broadband sat at their kitchen table requiring more longer frequent breaks from the screen.

A broadband service reduced due to the sheer numbers locked at home working, streaming and socialising.

You are not going to deliver an "ideal" work station for any home working at this time.

Where possible permit users to take equipment home (make records) as the last thing the business cash flow needs is hundreds of expenses claims for £200+ chairs.

Then you have the supply issues that some on-line retailers are prioritising other goods and the suitable cost effective versions have already sold out.

Good post pip306. 

I cannot work from home, I still wait to be called out to some job in the S.W. of Emgland.  I do however have a desktop computer with a flat screen monitor and printer, with a mouse and mouse mat, I even have a proper chair which up until yesterday was fine, but I just broke it when leaning back - doh. hahaha

The original posting is still valid when it concerns what so many people tend to use these days with hot desking and on-the-go computing, often with a small A4 size Ipad and a mobile phone.  The concept of DSE regs has taken a backseat as it were.  Your're 600 hardy workers may need some technical support, if only to explain in a simple email what they should be trying to do.  Whether your company can afford to do anything else is academic in the current lockdown with most computer supply companies on orders to close first (if you remember). 

I've used a work laptop in the past for work and really hated the setup the company I was working for at the time supplied, after only half an hour my fingers would cramp and my neck ache, so I understand the problem. 

Perhaps, tell your people to take more breaks than normal, just to try and prevent some of the problems? 

Edited by user 08 April 2020 20:29:55(UTC)  | Reason: name spelt wrong

We have re-deployed items from the closed office to people confined to home/ similar location on a loan basis. Mainly chairs, keyboards, mice and stands for laptops.

As most people have now been remote for 3 to 4 weeks we are roling out a light touch self evaluation which will cover workstation "issues" and health ,wellbeing. as well as any other concerns or thoughts. The thinking behind this is that now people are settling into a routine they will become more aware of problems and more prepared to ask for help/complain

It all depends on what they are doing. If they are doing a call centre job then the risk of them suffering injury due to overdoing it is relatively high, so you would need to apply more controls and try to recreate the office environment as much as possible. You would also have to lower your expectations: if they can get through 10 calls an hour at work you might have to expect only 5 calls an hour if working from home due to things like them having to take extra breaks. If the person is using the  more as a base but does relatively little actual hands on data processing and has a great deal of control over what they do and when, then you can take a more relaxed approach and tell them to use pillows etc. is as always all to do with managing the risk.

Thanks Kurdziel

Yes im thinking very much of those people we would class as "Users" whos work involves them at the screan for much of the day. At the moment we have been relying very much on the HSE guidance, takeing more & longer breaks, using cuisons where an office chair is not avialable etc, and knowing productivity will be less than normal.  But if the situation contiues for an extended period we will have to return to more normal levels of work - as such im thinking its time we started to look at if we can create a more suitable workspace at home for these people. However even if we supply the kit it may be that some people just dont have the space.                                        

There has never been a more important time for employers to: a) avail themselves of competent and proprtionate H&S advice; and, b) IMPLEMENT (and monitor) it, for although the HSE/LA may (initially) take a sympathetic approach, I can almost hear the claims companies rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a future tsunami of revenue from those employers who fell through the cracks or just plain failed to implement safe systems of work. Sadly, the 'scandal' of the next few years might be not 'have you been missold PPI?', but, 'were you made ill through a lack of PPE?' Hard pressed H&S Practitioners will need all their people and communication skills to stand firm towards stressed employers who will undoubtedly be tempted to cut corners, or fail/refuse to conduct risk assessments, provide relevant equipment and training and - often not seen of importance (until you are in court and wishing you had - kept proper, detailed records. Good luck everyone! 

Pete Mears - If you are trying to include some form of hyperlink following the "What do you want to do" that seems to end your posts sorry "New Mail" just isn't working as you intend.