How to Support a Colleague with a Drug or Alcohol Issue

How to Support a Colleague with a Drug or Alcohol Issue

Misusing alcohol and/or drugs is a serious problem. Indeed, according to a recent government report, there were 270,705 adults in contact with drug and alcohol services between April 2019 and March 2020.

As well as negatively affecting the business by causing performance, conduct, and safety issues, abusing these substances could also introduce long and short-term health issues for the user. Drugs and alcohol can affect the brain and the body in numerous negative ways, including damaging the liver, kidneys, and heart, exacerbating ill mental health, effecting long-term, irreversible brain damage, and increasing the risk of several types of cancer.

Members of staff who misuse drugs and alcohol are far more likely to take time off, display poor performance (missing targets and deadlines, making more mistakes, arriving late, etc.), exhibit violent and aggressive behaviour with other staff members/clients, and could also cause accidents leading to injury, even death, depending on the nature of their role.

Discover more about how to spot the signs of alcohol and/or drug misuse at work here.

Your responsibilities

All employers have a legal duty of care under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect employees’ health, safety and welfare. And whilst it’s understandable why some organisations may struggle with questions about why they should – or how they can – help employees with drug/alcohol problems, it’s worth bearing this duty of care in mind should you encounter the issue.

Alcohol and/or drug abuse is often a mental health issue for the user, and it can be beneficial for organisations to understand this and to treat the behaviour as such. Whilst this does not mean employers should accept any practices that directly contravene their code of conduct, it might mean something like offering reasonable time away for the employee to seek help or rehabilitation, or having mental health care included in the company’s benefits.

As well as demonstrating that you are a supportive employer dedicated to the health and wellbeing of your staff, it’s often the case that retaining valued, experienced workers is more beneficial to the business than sourcing new staff and incurring costs for recruitment and training.

Additionally, many experts recommend treating drug and alcohol misuse as a medical – rather than disciplinary – matter. Talking to your employee non-confrontationally and offering guidance and support on the matter (even if it’s a referral to a third-party expert) can help break the cycle of addiction much more effectively than acting in a manner which increases feelings of guilt or shame.

This is because many people who abuse substances also battle with a chronic sense of unworthiness, and inferiority – feelings that can be a barrier to getting help or even admitting a problem exists. It’s worth remembering that handling drug or alcohol misuse at work in a way that exacerbates these feelings can result in increased feelings of depression, hopelessness and numbness for your colleague.

In some cases, drug and alcohol abuse could be used to help your employee cope with work-related stress. In this instance, it may also be useful to assess the workplace at large to see if this may be part of a wider stress problem amongst staff members.

Supporting your employee

If you suspect that drugs or alcohol are influencing your employee’s conduct or performance, it’s important to document this behaviour and to talk to them about it non-confrontationally.

It may help you to have information prepared about drug/alcohol support groups or other local services that can provide counselling or treatment.

Apart from this, there are several things you can do that will help rather than hinder your employee during this time, including:

  • Not confronting or accusing your employee in front of other coworkers, supervisors, or management.
  • Avoiding being accusatory or judgemental, which can lead to deeper feelings of shame and guilt.
  • Presenting your concern for their wellbeing, their career success, and their future – all things that will inevitably be negatively influenced by misusing drugs or alcohol anywhere, including at work.
  • Giving examples of behaviour you have noticed that have led you to believe your coworker might be struggling with drug/alcohol misuse or has misused drugs/alcohol in the workplace.
  • Presenting informed, non-judgemental information about the consequences of addiction and the consequences of abusing substances, including whilst at work.

Policies on drugs and alcohol in the workplace

You don’t have to wait for a suspected case of drugs and/or alcohol misuse at work to create a policy on substance use or abuse (in fact many organisations include information about drugs/alcohol use in their code of conduct, or health and safety policy, for example).

Wherever you choose to keep this information, ensure that it’s easily accessible for all employees (members of staff shouldn’t have to ask for a copy if/when they need to refer to it, e.g.) and that the policy is robust and comprehensive (answering questions, rather than asking them).

Having an agreed-upon plan of action in the form of a drug/alcohol policy will help ensure that issues relating to substance-use at work are dealt with as legitimate workplace matters, and in a non-judgemental way, outside of the personal opinions of others.

It is important that managers and members of staff know and understand why and how the organisation will deal with drug and alcohol related issues; this will help staff gain the confidence to come forward and seek help either for themselves or others, without fear of disciplinary or retaliatory action.

The policy should clearly lay out the process for reporting suspected drug/alcohol misuse at work, or the medical/disciplinary actions that follow a confirmed instance of drug/alcohol misuse at work. To be most effective, the policy might also include:

  • The purpose of the policy – for example that it exists ‘to help protect workers from the dangers of drug and other substance misuse and to encourage those with a drugs problem to seek help’
  • A clear statement that the policy is applicable to everyone in the organisation.
  • The rules on the use of drugs and/or alcohol in the workplace (does the organisation take a zero tolerance approach, e.g.).
  • A statement that the business understands that substance abuse problems may be related to mental health and ought to be treated in the same way as any other illness.
  • Information about the potential dangers to the health and safety of the employee and their colleagues if their drug/alcohol problem continues or develops.
  • Information about why early identification and treatment is important.
  • Information about what help is available – for example, from managers, supervisors, occupational health or HR, or from outside counselling and medical help.
  • The organisation’s disciplinary position, for example, the company may agree to suspend disciplinary action, where drug or alcohol misuse is identified, on the condition that the worker follows a suitable course of action, such as seeking treatment.
  • The provision of paid sick leave for said agreed treatment.
  • The individual’s right to return to the same job after effective treatment or, where this is not advisable, to suitable alternative employment wherever possible.
  • An assurance of confidentiality for the employee(s) in question.
  • An acknowledgement that the policy will be regularly reviewed and that it has the support of the senior management team.

How to spot signs of stress at work

Employees suffering from stress will find it has significant detrimental impacts on their mental and physical wellbeing. According to the Health Safety Executive (HSE), 1.6 million workers in the UK suffered from work-related ill health in 2019/20 – more than half (51%) of these cases were due to stress, depression, or anxiety. 55% of all working days were also lost due to work-related ill-health. The predominant cause of work-related stress, depression or anxiety was tight deadlines, lack of managerial support, organisational changes at work and workplace harassment.

Stress can be an unbearable burden, and all too often, employees continue suffering without recognising it or treating it. If employees are feeling stressed, it can significantly impact the whole team, affecting productivity, and it can also cause conflict and tension between colleagues. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to assess the risks to the health and safety of employees from the hazards of work. This act includes the risk of employees developing stress-related illnesses because of their work.

Organisations and their line managers must do all they can to promote high levels of wellbeing in their teams. Providing managers with training gives them the confidence to engage with mental health and wellbeing and the opportunity to support those employees who need some extra help. According to HSE, here are some ways to spot if your colleagues or employees feel stressed at work. Usually, it involves a change in behaviour or the way they think or feel, resulting in them:

  • Taking more time off
  • Arriving for work later or working longer hours
  • Becoming more twitchy or nervous
  • Mood swings and becoming increasingly irritable
  • Being withdrawn – shying away or socially isolating themselves
  • Loss of motivation, commitment, and confidence
  • Increased emotional reactions – becoming overly sensitive

If some employees do feel stressed, they might not be the only ones and it is worth finding out if stress is affecting the whole team. If the reason for the stress is not found and addressed, then not only does the team suffer, but so does the company. Here are some signs if the team is feeling stressed (HSE):

  • Arguments within the team
  • Higher staff turnover
  • More reports of stress
  • More sickness absence
  • Decreased performance
  • More complaints and grievances

It takes time to find the right members of staff who are a good cultural fit with the rest of the team and have the right level of knowledge to fulfil the role. Not addressing the reasons for stress and nipping them in the bud will cause employees to feel irritable or overworked, especially if it’s due to too much workload. These effects can have a detrimental impact on the organisation. Resulting in not just a loss of valuable staff, but also time and financial loss.

If do you spot these signs of stress in your employees or your team, then business leaders must make it a priority to speak to them individually and as well as a team, to find out the reason for the way they are feeling. Transparency is key to understanding your employees and your team. Having a heart-to-heart with employees allows trust to build, so employees don’t feel worried or scared to confide in their business leader.

If the cause for stress is a work issue such as dealing with short deadlines or client demands, then support your team by helping them to prioritise their work. Speak to the client directly to ask for extensions and highlight the time taken for particular projects, so employees don’t feel like they are constantly chasing the clock. If employees feel stressed because of increased workload, then it’s crucial to ramp up recruitment efforts as quickly as possible to reduce the likelihood of losing valuable members of staff.

If employees feel stressed due to a personal issue, speak to them on a one-to-one basis and offer advice on what to do, or be supportive or empathetic, if you’re unable to provide support. Alternatively, if you think the employee may benefit from professional expertise, it’s recommendable to share a list of resources the employee can access inside or outside of work. For example, this could mean employees attending a mental health discussion group, support from a mental health and wellbeing charity, using an app, or perhaps taking up an activity such as yoga to relieve mental stress.

If you are worried about your colleagues or employees feeling stressed, why not take our course on ‘Identifying stress in your team‘? Don’t forget to check out the rest of our eLearning solutions in the Stress Management collection and speak to our team to book a demo.

5 Signs of Drug and Alcohol Misuse Among Colleagues

It should come as no surprise that alcohol and drug misuse by employees spells bad news all round. As well as the physical risk to health (including damaging the liver and heart and increasing the risk of cancer), substance abuse at work can cause other business-related issues, including:

  • Reduced productivity, efficiency, and concentration
  • Increased workplace injuries, accidents, and even deaths
  • Absenteeism
  • Declining mental health
  • Increase in violence and aggression
  • Theft
  • Poor decision making
  • Lower morale of co-workers
  • High turnover
  • Increased re-training

Under The Health and Safety At Work Act 1974, all employers have a legal duty of care to protect employees’ health, safety and welfare. Knowing the signs of drug and alcohol misuse, and how to spot them in the workplace, will help managers and team leaders mitigate health and safety risks and support their employees’ physical and mental wellbeing.

5 signs of drug and/or alcohol misuse and abuse at work:

1. Sudden changes in behaviour and appearance

Train managers to get to know and understand their team-members. Not only is this management style great for keeping open communication and building trust, but it will make it easier to spot unusual behaviours that may be a red flag for alcohol or drug misuse. Has your employee suddenly become angry or unpredictable? Do they overreact to little things? Or have they become more confrontational? If it’s unjustified and uncharacteristic, it’s time to take note of the person’s symptoms and see what’s troubling them. It could be family stress, illness or workplace substance abuse.

Additionally, look out for changes in personal hygiene or professional appearance – a decline in this area is often a sign that something’s wrong, including drug or alcohol abuse.

2. Unexplained or frequent absences

Misusing alcohol and/or drugs (including prescription medications) can leave employees feeling hungover and poorly. Many substances can also make users feel too jittery to sleep, and this can lead to poor workplace performance and an increase in sick days. Whilst you should trust your employees to know and tell you when they’re legitimately too sick to work, watch out for higher-than usual absenteeism spread across many months; this behavior reduces productivity and unfairly puts more strain on other people in the team.

3. Declining productivity/job performance

It should come as no surprise that being drunk or using drugs at work makes it hard to focus. As a result, employees are less likely to be able to perform complex tasks and much more likely to make mistakes, leading to unsatisfactory work and chronic under-achievement. Employees deep into substance abuse may only be able to concentrate on getting more of said substance, pushing important work commitments aside, and missing deadlines and targets.

4. Workplace accidents

Working under the influence rapidly increases the risk of workplace accidents. For office-based workers, this may include an increase in breakages or slips and trips. However, for employees operating heavy machinery, or using factory/manufacturing tools (where accidents are already a high-risk), or for persons who drive on the job, abusing substances at work can have devastating effects, including death. It only takes a momentary lapse in judgement or slower-than-usual reaction time for employees struggling with drug or alcohol misuse to seriously injure themselves or those around them. Be on the look-out for a sudden increase in workplace accidents and be sure to record them.

Additionally, keep an eye on your colleague’s physical appearance. If they’re showing up for work with unexplained cuts, bruises, scrapes, or needle marks, it may be time to seek help.

5. Conduct issues

There are a number of performance and conduct issues that may indicate your employee is struggling with substance abuse. As well as absenteeism (detailed above), managers should look out for signs including chronic lateness, mood swings, and inappropriate behaviours/attitude, theft, violence and aggression, a quarrelsome attitude with coworkers, managers, and customers, taking long breaks and/or slacking off, and increasing signs of paranoia.

Handling suspected signs of drug/alcohol misuse at work

It’s important for managers to handle potential substance misuse or abuse at work tactfully. Openly accusing someone of using drugs or coming to work drunk or high can lead to gossip and heated confrontations (which will not help a substance abuser) – it could even end in a lawsuit if mishandled. If you suspect that drugs or alcohol are influencing your employee’s actions, start to document the specific behaviours causing suspicion and worry, share these with your HR manager (if you have one), and find a way to offer help compassionately, without being accusatory.

Find out more about how to support a colleague dealing with drug/alcohol misuse at work here.

Hospitality Reopening Checklist: How Safe is Your Venue?

10 tips for your staff training

Some of the areas you could consider include:

Health and Safety

Many members of staff will have been furloughed for months, so it’s worthwhile investing time in refresher training and going over the hygiene and safety basics.

Food Safety

  • Do my staff remember best practice for storing, preparing, cooking and handling food?

Risk assessments

  • Are these completed and up to date? What new risks do I need consider and manage?

Manual handling

  • Are my staff aware how best to protect themselves and others from injury?

Slips, trips, and falls

  • All signs point to a busy period ahead, are accidents more likely to happen?

Mental health

  • My employees have been through a lot this year, have I helped ensure a positive work environment?

Compliance

Well-trained staff know and understand compliance best practices, mitigating risks and complying with the law.

Data Privacy

  • Do my staff know and understand data privacy laws? Will they remember how to handle and store data securely?

Cyber security

  • Phishing attacks and social engineering are on the rise; do my staff have enough awareness training to protect our business?

Equality and diversity

  • Have I taken positive action to promote equality and equal opportunity?

Performance

Prioritising clear and consistent employee training will not only improve staff performance, but also enhances work-culture and boosts efficiency.

Customer service

  • Are my guests having the best possible experience?

Stress management and wellbeing

  • Healthy behaviours help build healthy workplaces; am I supporting my employees’ wellness?

We have also created an in-depth guide to hospitality staff training including:

  • Identifying the 3 steps to a safer, more skilled, and motivated workforce
  • More top tips for reopening hospitality venues from Health and Safety and Compliance training specialist, Darren Hockley
  • A handy reopening checklist for your venue, offering advice on a range of topicsImage

What do Businesses Need to Know About Pandemic Fatigue?

True in life as in business, tough times can make us stronger. Yet, despite how comforting these words sound, many organisations have struggled to survive over the past year – and there’s still much to consider.

It’s true that, in many respects, successful organisations and employees alike are used to staying alert and dealing with the uncertainties that working life throws at them. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant this state of being has become a constant.

Living in a perpetual state of emergency, the so-called ‘new normal’, doesn’t allow us to ever put our guard down – a truth that threatens our health as well as our businesses.

What is pandemic fatigue?

Over the past months many of us have experienced something experts are naming ‘pandemic fatigue’. It’s a state of emotional burn out brought on because our fight or flight system (the emotional reaction to stress that has been otherwise energising us through the pandemic) is totally overloaded. When this happens, the constant flow of adrenaline in our systems starts to drain and apathy settles in.

Whilst an ongoing and successful vaccine roll-out has brought with it some much-needed hope, feelings of exhaustion and hopelessness can quickly overwhelm positive emotions. After all, emotional endurance dwindles over time and, given the nature of the pandemic, we don’t have the same sense of security we could fall back on pre-pandemic.

What are the signs of pandemic fatigue?

It’s going to be important to be able to spot signs of pandemic fatigue in ourselves as well as those we work alongside. After all, pandemic fatigue can result in a lax approach to public health measures (wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing), which could land your business with stiff fines – even closure in extreme cases.

Additionally, as employers, we owe a duty of care to our staff under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Indeed, it’s one of the reasons H&S training exists – all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of those in our employment.

Below are some signs to watch out for in yourself and your employees:

  • Aforementioned indifference or non-adherence to coronavirus safety measures
  • Sleeping enough, yet still feeling exhausted
  • Feeling more irritable or impatient than usual
  • Feeling stressed by tasks you usually complete with ease
  • Feeling disinterested or apathetic towards activities you used to find enjoyable
  • Feelings of detachment or hopelessness about the future
  • Lack of focus and concentration, even on day-to-day tasks
  • Increased consumption of alcohol, food, or other substances (often used to manage above feelings)

Managing pandemic fatigue

It’s difficult to over-communicate at times like these, so don’t be afraid to start difficult conversations. How you do this is up to you; some may prefer individual managers to speak to their teams (if the business is big enough), others may prefer to circulate information and/or resources via a company newsletter or wellbeing email.

Be prepared to have private conversations with employees that are struggling. If they are feeling overwhelmed, connect them to available COVID-19 mental health resources or other forms of counselling your business may have access to.

Remember to check in on a regular basis with your remote staff. Make sure they have the tools and equipment they need to work efficiently and safely from home and, whether you/your staff are back in the office or at home, the below methods can help reduce the impact of pandemic fatigue and help us to stay strong and resilient:

  • Monitor your social media / ‘doom scrolling’

At the moment, one of the biggest distractions is the news. Checking for COVID-19 updates, or clicking on news alerts as and when they pop up, is going to be hard to resist.

But be wary of scrolling yourself into despair. Relying on unreputable sources for news about the outbreak can fuel anxiety, making it difficult to concentrate and putting your mental health at risk.

  • Replenish your energy

Burnout can occur when you feel stuck, resulting in feeling out of control, so factoring in relaxation activities is more than just icing on the cake when it comes to wellbeing.

Going for walks/runs, enjoying a bath or a book, cooking, baking, gardening, or any activity you can safely enjoy will go a long way to restoring balance and upkeeping motivation levels.

  • Stick to a routine

Of particular importance to those working from home, finding a new routine and sticking to it can be a big help when it comes to battling pandemic fatigue.

Routines are safe and predictable and, as such, are a powerful antidote to stress because they create feelings of stability.

  • Don’t cut yourself off

It’s natural, when we feel stressed, to push friends, family, and colleagues away out of frustration, but this will only increase stress long-term.

Teamwork and communication is the key here, so keep communication lines open and don’t be afraid to show a little vulnerability. It helps to know we’re all in the same boat sometimes. We can all help one another maintain hope.

NEW RELEASES: Active Shooter and Environmental Awareness (Global)

We are your strategic partner for your Health and Safety training and our library of courses is always growing and evolving to meet your needs.

We have two new developments in Health and Safety: the release of our new Active Shooter course, one of the Emergency Response group, and the update of our Environmental Awareness offering. Environmental Awareness is now available in two versions: UK and global.

Active Shooter eLearning Short Course

Sadly, many workplaces and educational establishments have fallen victim to active shooter attacks. Training can help provide peace of mind for employees so that they become more confident in their ability to face such an event if it happens.

Our Active Shooter eLearning short course shows learners what to do in these tragic and stressful situations to minimise casualties and keep themselves safe. Learners answer a series of multiple-choice questions about their immediate response to handle the situation safely and pass the course.

The Active Shooter course is one of our Emergency Response courses, along with Civil Unrest, Explosion, Bomb Threat, Suspicious Items and Medical Emergency.

See our new Active Shooter course HERE.

Environmental Awareness Global Update

Our Environmental Awareness course has helped many businesses understand and improve their environmental impact on the world. Focusing on international best practice to ensure legal compliance and practical techniques to reduce carbon footprint, the course now has a global version.

The UK-focused version is still available.

See our new international Environmental Awareness course HERE.

If you are not currently a customer and would like to know more about what our Health and Safety courses can do for your organisation, please email [email protected]

What is Adaptive Learning?

What is Adaptive Learning?

Adaptive learning (sometimes called adaptive teaching, adaptive instruction, or intelligent tutoring) is an educational method which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to present users with individually customised learning programs.

Adaptive learning works by gathering data before, during, and after the learning process and using this mined information intelligently to create optimised learning paths for each user.

Therefore, as the user continues to complete more training and take more assessments, the platform is able to identify and feed back only the content that is relevant to them, based off their performance and confidence levels. In doing so, it will also address their unique requirements and learning preferences, presenting the type of content (e.g., gamified courses, immersive learning, and so on.) that best appeals to the user and that they have engaged with well in the past.

In other words, adaptive learning platforms can automatically and intelligently determine which learning content, activities, and techniques will benefit the learner most and provide the best learning results.

Business benefits of adaptive learning

Adaptive learning is being increasingly used by businesses for mandatory corporate training – particularly that which, in the past, may have seen lower engagement or retention levels from employees. After all, it can feel frustrating to go over old learning content that you already know when you have a job to do!

It’s easy to see how adaptive learning can save time by allowing learners to bypass information they already have a clear understanding of and by presenting only the information necessary to become more competent or to upskill them.

Ease of use

Adaptive learning happens automatically and with minimum human intervention, so it’s a great tool for Learning and Development Managers to utilise as it affords them more time to focus on their goals and the success of their employees.

What’s more, adaptive learning can be rolled out quickly, with minimum hassle, and in direct response to any key-risk areas identified – so it’s useful for organisations that want to remain agile and responsive.

Improved knowledge retention

High engagement means higher knowledge retention and by utilising and suggesting a variety of learning styles, adaptive learning can be used to increase knowledge retention by presenting learning content in the styles that best suit the individual learner.

Additionally, it doesn’t devalue employee time by forcing them to complete unnecessary training, so adaptive learning has the added benefit of increased morale and commitment when it comes to training activities.

Increased ROI

Training is designed to add value to your business, not detract from it. Adaptive learning means you can reduce the time spent on unnecessary training and training administration, resulting in increased productivity and better informed, more motivated employees. It can also help to minimise the cost of external recruitment since members of staff progress organically, at their own pace.

To learn more about our adaptive learning product offering, please visit our Collections pages.

Exciting News! DeltaNet International joins the Marlowe PLC Group

Exciting News! DeltaNet International joins the Marlowe PLC Group

As we head forwards into 2021, we’ve got some very exciting news to share here at DeltaNet International. We have joined forces with Marlowe PLC to form its eLearning business.

Marlowe are a UK leader in business critical services and software which assure safety and regulatory compliance. The acquisition will bolster the Marlowe group’s market leading position in the UK Health and Safety market and Marlowe have made a significant and exciting investment in the future of DeltaNet International.

Speaking on the deal, our MD, Darren Hockley said:

“This acquisition is very important for our continued growth and we’re pleased to align ourselves with a well-established presence like Marlowe. Businesses are increasingly looking to work with companies that deliver a broader, more comprehensive service and collectively we can now fulfil more of their needs.

“We are proud of what we’ve achieved together since 1999 and equally excited about what lies ahead, where we are taking the company, and how we are looking after our clients. We have exciting plans for the ongoing growth of the business this year and beyond.”

We’re also pleased to congratulate Stacey Taylor on her new investment as a shareholder into the business. Our newest Board Member, Stacey currently heads up our Content Team and we’re looking towards a very bright future under her lead.

Watch this space!

Sitting Comfortably? Protecting your Posture when Working from Home

We’re many months into the coronavirus pandemic and a return to office life as we knew it still seems a long way off, if it comes at all. When settling in for the long-term “new normal”, there’s a question every employer needs to be asking their staff: “are you sitting comfortably?” Employees can begin by asking themselves the same question and taking a look at their home working set-up.

Incorrect equipment and bad posture can lead to musculoskeletal issues and, in the short-term, aches and pains. As working from home looks less like a short-term adjustment and more like a reality of working life, employees need to take this into account and let their employer know if they need support. We can show you how.

DSE, Equipment and Posture

Not everyone will have access to a separate home office. But it can help to have a dedicated “working space” – even if it’s a corner of a room that is not used for anything else. This makes it easier to set up display screen equipment in the right way.

Correctly set up DSE will have a huge effect on a worker’s physical health and wellbeing. Crouching over a laptop might not do too much damage immediately (aside from some neck ache, perhaps!) but over weeks, it can add up to a serious issue. It can also make existing conditions worse.

You need to make sure you’re sitting in the right position. Make sure your back is straight, your arms are supported and your feet are touching the ground. Regularly check this so you’re not falling into a slouching position or sitting in exactly the same position for hours at a time.

Stretch and Move

It can be easy to get engrossed in work and suddenly realise several hours have passed without getting up and moving! Set up a timer if needed and make sure you get up and about at least every hour – even if it’s just to pop downstairs and get a drink.

Our Spinal Awareness short course explores some of the stretching exercises that you can do at your desk or in your workspace. They can help to prevent many health problems and, apart from the physical effects, it’s psychologically beneficial.

Here are some other ideas for keeping active:

  • Take a lunch time walk. It’s a great way to keep active at a regular time and breaks up the day. When working from home, it can be easy to go entire days without leaving the house; lunch time brisk walks help to counter this.
  • Have a pre-work workout. One for the morning people, perhaps! Why not use some of the time you used to use commuting on an exercise regime? You’ll certainly feel awake after that…
  • Mix up your workspace. If you’re sick of sitting in the same place, why not move to another room and work in the kitchen for a bit? This has to be balanced with the need to have properly set-up DSE – but for a brief respite, if you can, it can help to mix it up a bit.

You don’t need to do a full-blown fitness regime to keep active throughout the day. Just a couple of minor breaks and a lunch-time walk can make a world of difference to your physical and mental wellbeing.

Protecting Homeworkers’ Health and Safety

The recent HSE update to their guidance on protecting homeworkers has become even more pertinent following the new Government directive to work from home where possible.

Just as many workers were returning to their offices, albeit in a very different capacity to which they left them, the trend is now set to reverse with numbers working from home likely to rise again.

The updated guidance reiterates the need for employers to demonstrate the same duty of care towards employees who work from home as they do for on-site staff.

HSE guidance and how training can help

The importance of adhering to the guidelines is twofold:

  • To look after your employees and ensure their wellbeing, both physical and mental
  • To ensure that your business is compliant and operating within the guidelines, negating the possibility of any future accusations of not following the correct procedures which could leave the company open to financial penalties.

In order to help keep your employees safe and your business compliant, eLearning can help employers ensure that they are providing the best possible level of care to the health and safety needs of their employees.

Employees can take the training at home and as they are likely to be in their current working environment they can make any changes necessary to improve their safety quickly and easily.

eLearning can cover the key areas contained within the HSE guidelines and is ideally suited to ensuring that you and your employees are working in a safe environment.

The guidelines refer specifically to DSE (Display Screen Equipment), Mental Health and Stress and state that:

As an employer when someone is working from home, permanently or temporarily, you should consider:

  • How will you keep in touch with them?
  • What work activity will they be doing (and for how long)?
  • Can it be done safely?
  • Do you need to put control measures in place to protect them?

This is as important now as it was when employees first started to work from home on a widespread scale, following restrictions imposed in March.

It could be argued that it is actually even more important as time has progressed, with feelings of isolation likely to have grown the longer home working has gone on.

To say that everybody who has switched to working from home has suffered mentally isn’t true; studies have shown that a high number of people have flourished, citing increased flexibility, lack of commute and reduced distractions as just some of the reasons for a reduction in stress and improvement in overall mental health.

DSE and working from home

One of the key things to consider about the home office space is DSE. We all know that incorrectly set up screens can cause musculoskeletal issues and other health problems and that this has to be a core area of concern for employers moving towards homeworking; but how do employers and employees alike mitigate this risk?

The answer is with targeted training that can be delivered at home, namely eLearning. Getting your employees to undergo training specifically focused on DSE will help to achieve the goals of ensuring their safety and demonstrating you taking responsibility as an employer.

Training should include points such as:

  • How to set up DSE correctly to maximise safety
  • Exercises to minimise the risks of injury
  • Importance of regular breaks
  • Relevant legislation

To discover more about successfully training your employees to set up their DSE safely, we have a number of options available.

Stress

The HSE guidance explicitly mentions the greater need for employers to ensure the mental health of their homeworking staff is protected.

Studies have shown that a number of people have seen improvements to their mental health since working from home, citing increased flexibility, lack of commute and reduced distractions as just some of the reasons for a reduction in stress.

However, for a great many others, feelings of isolation, loneliness and detachment from the workplace has led to a rise in stress and a deterioration in mental health.

This is where managers have had to step up and will continue to need to do so. Increased communication from managers is vital to help with feelings of isolation, as is the need to be able to recognise early warning signs and symptoms of stress in employees.

We have a set of resources specifically designed to help employees recognise their own signs of stress and to help manage it, along with resources for managers to learn how to manage stress in their team.

Home Working Risk Assessments

Many of the risks inherent to homeworking are the same as working in the office: setting up display screen equipment correctly, minimising slips and trips and taking extra precautions if lone working for example.

Home working environments should have had a thorough risk assessment carried out at the outset. Even if this was the case, now is a good time to be re-visiting it to ensure that the working environment remains safe.

We created a Home Working Risk Assessment for precisely this purpose and provides a comprehensive tool for ensuring the safety if your employees.

It focuses on three core areas: your home workspace, working design and taking care of yourself. From looking after your mental health all the way to electrical safety, no homeworking topic is neglected. There is also an extra section for people with line management responsibilities.

Summary

The recent updates to the HSE guidelines about protecting home workers are a timely reminder that we cannot be complacent about the health and safety of homeworkers.

Coupled with the new advice from the government regarding working from home where possible, now is the perfect opportunity to refresh your employees training to maximise their safety.

Our solutions provide a high quality, cost effective solution to your training needs in order to mitigate risk and keep your employees safe.