Employers urged to assess if working from home is safer

New guidelines have been issued by CIPD Ireland urging thousands of employers to assess if their workers would be safer working from home.

According to CIPD, workers have come forward with concerns surrounding the rising number of Covid cases in the country.

As the country continues to battle the ongoing COVID-19 surge, CIPD Director Mary Connaughton has said that public and private employers are worried about the impact that the new surge will have on employees, and what action can be taken.

Ms. Connaughton said. “We’re updating our advice in accordance with what we’re hearing on the ground, that people are concerned about the health of their colleagues and are having to cope with a rising level of Covid-19-related staff shortages”,

“A risk assessment is a proactive step right now. If the checks show that masks and/or a renewed drive for remote working can help keep people safe and relieve pressure on resources, then we believe business should implement these reasonable steps”.

“It’s understandable that any perceived step towards measures that have been lifted in the workplace could be unappealing”.

“However we believe that if a risk assessment shows steps such as mask wearing and working from home can have a positive impact in some workplaces, then they may be reasonable methods to take to protect employees and resources,”

Leo Varadkar recently ruled out a return to mandatory mask wearing in indoor settings.