Franchisors and franchisees alike face many challenges during the pandemic – with unusual working practices being close to the top of the list. HR expert Sue Tumelty explores how to tackle the many challenges of home working.
As we all know by now, business owners across the board are facing a raft of challenges during this pandemic. None of us have faced a situation like this before.
For all business owners, it’s worth bearing in mind the implications of the home becoming the workplace. It’s not just a matter of physical space. There are liabilities which all employers have to consider.
And as the pressures grow, as we enter another lockdown, some disturbing statistics are emerging about the side-effects of the restrictions on our freedoms. I’m not just talking economics, but impacts on our personal lives as we all spend winter cooped up indoors.
Employment practicalities to consider
Given that many of us will probably have been working from home for a while now, I hope this advice isn’t coming as entirely new. However, it’s certainly worth reiterating as there are risks for employers and employees to consider.
By law, employers remain responsible for the health and safety of their employees regardless of the workplace, including at home.
Ideally, employers will carry out a risk assessment of their staff’s working activities, including from home – this must be ‘suitable and sufficient’, so certainly worth doing properly to cover yourself against the risks.
Of course this may not always be possible, in which case you must provide your employees with relevant information and even to carry out a self-assessment of their workplace and equipment.
Any necessary changes are the responsibility of the employer, not the employee. And these arrangements should be under regular review.
There’s plenty of useful information out there – try the homeworking questionnaire prepared by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), or of course you can contact a qualified HR or Health and Safety adviser.
As ever, open communication is the key to happy workers, productive franchisees and minimising risk.
You as the franchisor, or franchisee if considering your employees, have the ability to ensure the people working under you properly look after their mental and physical health during this challenging time.
You should consider measures to avoid slips, trips and falls; recognise the importance of seating posture to avoid musculoskeletal injuries; consider ways to tackle anxiety and physical pain; and make sure rules on working hours are correctly followed.
GDPR issues are vital too. You must make sure data is sure, that your employees’ network connections are secure, that you have policies in place to deal with any breaches and that your staff know which records should not leave the office environment. Their responsibilities should be clearly laid out and appropriate training should be delivered.
Maintaining productivity
It is worth remembering that not everyone has the ability to remove themselves from home life, to work in splendid isolation in a space which replicates the normal workplace (minus the colleagues).
Many of your franchisees and their staff will be struggling to make do in a makeshift home office, often with children running around and husbands or wives tearing their hair out given the challenges of home schooling. Do you need to consider flexible furlough to take the pressure off them?
With that in mind, it is worth considering flexible hours (if you haven’t already), so that productivity can remain high during, for example evening and weekends.
Awareness of domestic violence
We’ve soldiered on through 2020 and the demands on our lives show little sign of easing up in 2021. It’s hard going, especially during winter.
It’s no excuse, but perhaps it comes as no surprise that recent statistics from Women’s Aid showed the impact of lockdown on domestic abuse victims. The figures show that, from March to November 2020 the agency’s helpline responded to 41 per cent more calls than the same period in 2019 – from around 12,500 to just under 18,000.
Any franchise business will notice the impact of failing to tackle the effects of domestic violence on people in the organisation, whether these are franchisees or staff employed by them.
These negative impacts on the workplace can include increased absenteeism, poor performance, higher staff turnover and inappropriate behaviour – none of which promote a productive working culture.
So, from a moral and a business point of view, it makes sense to act quickly when problems are identified.
In December last year the Government made an amendment to the Fair Work Act 2009. It includes an entitlement to unpaid family and domestic violence leave as part of the NES (National Employment Standards) for all employees, including those who are part-time and casual.
Franchisors and franchisees can also help in the workplace by supporting victims, reducing the impact on the business in the process. Management should consider a duty of care to their employees regarding health and wellbeing, and implement policies and procedures as the first starting point.
This is a challenging aspect of management. However employees need to be able to speak privately, without fear of judgement, and should feel confident that speaking up about domestic violence will not adversely affect their employment.
