Coronavirus and Working from Home

Coronavirus and Working from Home

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused almost all firms to deploy the work from home practice for employees. While some may be used to this, others may feel lost in the exercise. While not all Indian are able or fortunate enough to work from home, many have transitioned to telecommuting and virtual work over the last week or two.

Individuals work from home for a number of reasons. Maybe you’re a stay at home parent, or maybe your office space is under renovation. Maybe you are sick with the flu or, as it pertains to recent headlines, trying to self-isolate as coronavirus cases pop up around the country. Whatever the reason for “telecommuting,” there are ways you can ensure you are being productive, healthy and happy while working from home.

Working from home sounds like a luxury, but it comes with a number of challenges. What if you have connectivity issues with coworkers? What if you need something from your office that you don’t have access to? What if you are bombarded with other in-home distractions like pets, family members and electronics? Here are some tips for telecommuting, working from home, self-isolating or even self-quarantining—no matter your reasoning.

1. Maintain Regular Hours

Set a schedule and stick to it. Working designated hours, and then stopping when those hours are up, will give your brain time to work and time to rest. While working remotely does mean that there is added flexibility with your personal life schedule, it’s best to stick to a schedule where you can be productive, get your work done and call it a day when work hours are up.

2. Create a Morning Routine

Humans are creatures of habit—and that’s partly because routine helps us mentally and physically prepare for things. Whether it’s having a cup of coffee every morning, doing some morning stretches or taking your dog on a walk, creating a morning routine can greatly help you get ready for the work-day at home.

3. Be alert; do not use the oven or stovetop if you are sleepy or under the influence of a substance.

4. Preparation of Food:

Stay in the kitchen if you are cooking food with any form of heat. When simmering, baking or roasting, check the food regularly, remain in the kitchen while cooking, and use a timer.

5. Keep all flammables, like paper, clothing, bedding, drapes or rugs, at least three feet from a space heater, stove, or fireplace.

6. Smoke alarms can be annoying

They beep, you have to replace batteries, and if you cook something smokey in the kitchen they sometimes go off. However, they are essential for fire safety, as they give an early warning that greatly reduces risk of injury or death. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or working smoke alarms.

7. Schedule Breaks

Just like any working environment, giving yourself breaks is incredibly important to let your brain and body relax. Take a 15-minute walk, go make some lunch or catch up with a loved one on the phone—whatever you do, though, do not work yourself to the bone without letting yourself take a break away from screens, meetings and work.

 8. Audit CCTV footage as an SOP

If you are responsible to take care security / safety part of your company, or you are owner of your company, then you must see what camera saw. Once auditing becomes a de-facto requirement, at least of some critical cameras, and audit reports are maintained and acted upon, it will result in huge amount of prevention and continuous improvement. Auditing will help in discovering several exceptions that would otherwise remain hidden within the footage.

9. Socialize with Colleagues

Of course, if you are sick or trying to stay healthy in the wake of something like the coronavirus, socializing in-person with others might night be best idea. But in general, if you are working from home, socializing is important.

In the event of sickness or COVID-19, it is still important your get out and take a break from your routine workspace. Yes: isolation, quarantine, and social distancing are all different things. However, you can often control your environment to keep your body and brain health—especially if you are self-quarantining and social distancing.

10. Fire Extinguisher

Lastly, know where your nearest fire extinguisher is. But remember, not all fire extinguishers are created equal. Remember “PASS” is process for using a fire extinguisher

·        Pull the pin

·        Aim low at the base of the fire

·        Squeeze the handle slowly

·        Sweep the nozzle side to side

Practice your fire escape plan! This includes practicing getting out with your eyes closed, crawling on the floor with your mouth covered, doing “stop, drop, and roll” and testing door handles to see if they are hot.

While employers’ responsibilities for the safety and health of their at-home workers is less than those in the office or onsite, some do still exist. OSHA distinguishes between home offices and other home workplaces.

OSHA’s compliance directive on home offices is pretty clear:

·        “OSHA will not conduct inspections of employees’ home offices.

·        “OSHA will not hold employers liable for employees’ home offices, and does not expect employers to inspect the home offices of their employees.

·        “If OSHA receives a complaint about a home office, the complainant will be advised of OSHA’s policy. If an employee makes a specific request, OSHA may informally let employers know of complaints about home office conditions, but will not follow-up with the employer or employee.”

What about recording injuries while working at home? If an employee is working at home, when could the injury be considered work-related? OSHA answers the question:

How do I decide if a case is work-related when the employee is working at home? Injuries and illnesses that occur while an employee is working at home, including work in a home office, will be considered work-related if the injury or illness occurs while the employee is performing work for pay or compensation in the home, and the injury or illness is directly related to the performance of work rather than to the general home environment or setting.

OSHA 300 Log and COVID-19

In the case of the coronavirus, OSHA has a few guidelines in place for your reference. Employers must record cases of the coronavirus only if the employer believes that the employee was exposed at work, and the case is diagnosed by a laboratory test or healthcare provider as having been caused by the coronavirus, and the case is otherwise recordable.

There is no presumption that an employee who has come down with a case of coronavirus was infected at work. Instead, for the illness to be considered work-related, there must be evidence that it was contracted at work. If there is no such evidence, the case is not recordable.