With hybrid work environments posing evolving challenges to security professionals, Peoplesafe are hosting a webinar to discuss the boundaries employers have for personal safety outside the traditional workplace.

Societal shifts, financial uncertainties and volatility across the globe are all shaping a new security landscape.  

Hybrid working environments are presenting security professionals with evolving challenges from both technological and moral standpoints.  

VUCA World  

A cost-of-living crisis, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and political change; the acronym VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) seems apt for the tinderbox the UK currently finds itself.  

Recent rioting and social unrest sparked by the murders in Southport have demonstrated society’s fragile foundations and the potential explosiveness of unlawful behaviour.  

In the middle are innocent people trying to do their jobs, live their lives and not to get caught in the crossfire.  

This VUCA world that we find ourselves living in can be traced back to the global pandemic. Covid-19 has had a far-reaching impact – none more so than on people’s working patterns.

Borne from the success of working remotely, hybrid working has warped the old Monday to Friday, nine-to-five structure.  

In turn, employees’ new expectations to work flexibly are blurring boundaries of what constitutes employee security and welfare and where an employer’s duty of care stops.  

Navigating grey areas  

Boundaries of responsibility are clearly defined through health and safety legislation when staff are working from company premises or in transit between appointments.   

What responsibility do employers have in workers’ homes? According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health safety and welfare of all their employees.  

Hybrid working presents the challenge of maintaining a safe work environment, extending beyond traditional workspaces into the homes of remote workers.  

Beyond the clock  

There is no official responsibility that extends to protect staff on their commute despite people frequently experiencing incidents of abuse, aggression and violence.   

Research conducted by Peoplesafe found that hybrid workers have the highest percentage of safety concerns (72%) compared to on-site (59%) and remote workers (46%).  

Splitting their time between home and another location opens workers to facing at-home risks, as well as standard workday risks.  

For many, travelling is when fears are higher than ever.

Six in 10 people feel unsafe on public transport at off-peak times and 50% feel unsafe travelling alone to and from work.  

These widespread fears are leading to a growing expectation for employers to extend their duty of care beyond traditional working, with 51% of workers believing their employer has an inherent responsibility to protect them outside of working hours.  

Security teams need to start recognising this demand to deliver an appropriate supply of protection which will inevitably be sourced from technology.  

Instigating a culture of safety awareness  

Remote working poses a further challenge to creating a steadfast safety culture when contact is limited and interaction is via video conferencing.  

The importance and volume of communication cannot be underestimated to achieve a strong security culture.

Constantly bringing safety into people’s consciousness can help them to start thinking about risks in their environment so they can begin mitigating risks.  

Communication is also key when introducing technology.

Some safety solutions are seen as monitoring – particularly when people are working from home – so it’s a challenge for employers to clearly demonstrate the purpose of each measure.  

A dedicated work from home policy can be used to outline the expectations about how employees should work remotely and explicitly define how safety and security will be monitored.  

Securing your disparate workforce  

Embracing flexible working patterns has an array of advantages for both employers and employees. One of the most significant benefits is improved work-life balance.  

Staff can better manage their personal and professional commitments, resulting in reduced stress levels and increased overall job satisfaction. 

As a security leader, this level of flexibility presents a real challenge for safeguarding employees whether they’re working remotely, on the move or in the office.  

Managing the health, safety and wellbeing of every worker has become a much more complex task when they have the option to work in multiple locations and at varying times.   

The simplest solution is a buddy system whereby workers are paired up and given the responsibility to ensure each other’s safety.  

Typically, this involves checking in and out with their ‘buddy’ which can be done via call, text, instant message or email.  

Staff may be required to check in and out when they start and finish work.

Additional check-ins might be requested throughout the day to ensure a regular cadence of communication.

In these situations, someone can be alerted if an employee fails to respond to their buddy.  

While effective as a basic solution, it is completely reliant on your employees and does not provide robust risk management.  

Essentially, home workers are lone workers and they experience similar risks to other employees working in isolation, albeit from the comfort of their own homes.

It is not necessarily that the task they are completing is high risk, but rather that the severity of the incident, should anything happen, could be high.  

The biggest risk for remote workers is if they have an accident or suddenly become ill while alone.  

How would you know that an incident has occurred? By the time that someone is notified, the consequences may already be severe.  

Utilising technology  

Employers must balance their inherent duty of care responsibilities with the control measures provided in someone’s home.  

Access to personal safety technology, such as Peoplesafe applications, can provide an additional layer of security and peace of mind for employees working remotely.  

With an app, staff can check-in and out of their working day as well as set welfare checks at pre-determined intervals to confirm their safety.  

Tracking, monitoring and data collection are key barriers to implementing this type of technology, so it’s important to choose an accredited supplier to ensure your data, as well as your people, is protected.   

We highly recommend committing data usage from our service into policy and communicating it to all impacted staff to make everyone aware of how this information will be used.  

The future of hybrid work  

As hybrid working continues to evolve, employers must remain vigilant and proactive in addressing emerging safety concerns and adapting to changing workplace dynamics.  

Legislation changes to specifically protect people working from home are likely to come into place; therefore, it’s essential for employers to embrace innovation and new tools to boost organisational success and employee satisfaction.   

By staying proactive and adaptable, businesses can not only ensure compliance with future regulations but also foster a safer and more supportive work environment for all employees, regardless of their location.  

This article was originally published in the September Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.