Special equipment used for telecommuters
Out of sight should not be out of mind
Occupational health providers may have to adopt new strategies for dealing with telecommuters, but most of them will be offshoots of the tried-and-true methods that have worked in the traditional workplace. This is some of the advice gathered by Occupational Health Management:
• Provide very specific guidelines on how to set up the telecommuter’s office.
It is not enough to tell workers in a general sense that the office should be safe and ergonomically correct. To have any impact, the employer must tell the worker specifically what office setup is acceptable in a detailed way, explains Camille R. Manfredonia, vice president and director of alternative work arrangements with Merrill Lynch, a large employer that has taken extensive steps to formalize its telecommuting arrangements for more than 400 employees. (See p. 117 for a summary of Merrill Lynch’s home office requirements.)
• Consider conducting home inspections.
Just as you conduct walk-through inspections of an employer’s factory or office, you can do the same sort of inspection at the telecommuter’s home. A visit to the home office gives you the opportunity to spot hazards such as computer cables strung across the floor, a shaky bookshelf, insufficient lighting, or a desk and chair that are not ergonomically safe.
As you may suspect, the home inspection requires a bit of tact. Remember you are in a person’s home, his or her personal space. That means that, even more than normally, you must make suggestions with a smile and emphasize this is for the worker’s own safety. The same sort of blunt observation that may be accepted in a factory will be resented and cause workers to become defensive in their own homes.
Home inspections are a relatively new trend in telecommuting, says Robert Moskowitz, president of the American Telecommuting Association, an advocacy group for telecommuters in Washington, DC. Employers have required home inspections only in the last two or three years, he says. But as telecommuting becomes more accepted as a modern business practice, employees are less likely to balk at the idea of an occupational health provider checking out the home office.
"Employers like the idea of home inspections because it allows them to say that they discharged their obligations and made a good faith effort to make sure the workplace is safe and healthy," he explains.
• Look for other proof that the home office is safe, such as photographs.
Merrill Lynch recently conducted home inspections of its telecommuters’ offices but found that they were too time-consuming. But the company did not forgo inspections altogether and rely on the honor system.
Part of the formal telecommuting agreement between the company and employees is a provision that the worker will provide photographic proof that the home office meets the standards outlined by Merrill Lynch, Manfredonia explains. The telecommuter must provide multiple photographs of the home office that show the proper type of chair, desk, and accessories. The photos also must show the type of lighting, overall views that would include stray wires and clutter, and photos of the worker sitting at the desk in an ergonomically sound position.
"If we don’t think it looks right in the photos, we’ll ask for improvements and another set of photos," she says. "If we’re still not comfortable with what we see, we’ll go out and do an inspection in person."
About 70% of the telecommuters get it all right on the first try. The most common shortcomings are poor chair selection, insufficient lighting, and cables out in the open where they could cause a fall.
• Encourage the employer to subsidize necessary equipment.
Providers routinely encourage clients to provide safety equipment and ergonomically correct office furniture in the workplace, so the same idea should be carried over to the home office. Most telecommuting agreements specify that the worker provides much of the necessary equipment, such as a desk and chair. Employers don’t want to provide an entire office setup for the worker’s home, partly because it is too expensive and partly because it would be difficult to have so much company property in the employee’s home. But it may be a good idea to subsidize the employee’s purchase of the proper equipment.
Hewlett Packard, the computer giant based in Palo Alto, CA, offers its telecommuters a 33% discount on ergonomically correct furniture. Even though the worker still must shell out some money for what the employer thinks is the proper furniture, many are willing. Few workers can become telecommuters without investing in some new furniture, so the employer’s subsidy helps nudge them toward the ergonomically correct choices. To make the idea more attractive, remind telecommuters they will recoup any investment in the first six months through savings in commuting costs, dry cleaning, and similar expenses.
And the cost of any subsidy can be justified easily, Moskowitz notes. Telecommuting is a major cost saver to employers because they can eliminate much of the office space and other capital expenses associated with on-site workers.
Merrill Lynch decided not to purchase home office equipment for telecommuters because the arrangement is an option, not a mandatory work situation. But the company does provide guidelines that specify what type of equipment is necessary to meet the company’s safety requirements, and the employees must sign a statement that they understand the requirements. Telecommuters can take advantage of a special discount offered to Merrill Lynch telecommuters by a major office supply chain.
"We don’t tell them they have to have a maple desk vs. a whitewashed wood desk, but we do say the desk has to be sturdy, and the chair has to be ergonomically correct," explains Eileen M. Keyes, assistant vice president with Merrill Lynch. The company also passes on to telecommuters information about great finds in office furniture. One telecommuter recently reported buying a leather desk chair that met the company’s requirements but was reasonably inexpensive, so the company alerted the other telecommuters about where to find the chair.
The telecommuters also must sign a statement acknowledging that Merrill Lynch’s home office requirements are based on current occupational health guidelines. If the current thinking changes, the agreement requires the telecommuters to upgrade to equipment that meets the new standard.
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