Despite a post-pandemic dip in the number of people working from home, for many Canadian employers and workers, remote work is here to stay. This doesn’t surprise Tanya Muller, WSPS Specialized Consultant, Ergonomics.

For many businesses, technology established during the pandemic has allowed telework arrangements to continue. “Working from home offers great benefits for everyone,” notes Tanya. “It gives workers the flexibility to better manage work/life balance, which reduces stress and increases loyalty. For the employer, this translates into greater productivity and improved engagement, satisfaction and retention.”

If you have employees working from home, it’s important to have a strategically thought-out teleworking policy in place. The policy should look at all elements of a telework arrangement: what jobs or tasks are best done at home versus the office, who can work from home and for how long, and how virtual workers will connect with their supervisors and peers.

Your teleworking policy also needs to address the health and safety concerns of remote workers. “Employers are required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to do everything reasonable to protect workers,” says Tanya. “And that includes people who work from home.”

Remote workers face both physical and psychological hazards. “Ensure your virtual employees are aware of the risks they face, and provide information, training and tools to mitigate those risks.”

Health and safety risks for virtual workers

1. Musculoskeletal disorders. Improper workstation setup or equipment, as well as prolonged sitting or repetitive motions, can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the shoulders, arms, neck, and back. It’s important to raise awareness about the causes and prevention of MSDs among home office workers.

“Your MSD prevention program should outline how workers are to obtain and set-up their home office furniture and equipment,” says Tanya. “Some businesses provide an allowance and a list of approved products.” It’s also a good idea to do a virtual ergonomics assessment to ensure home offices are set up appropriately.

2. Physical risks. Provide information based on your existing policies and programs regarding fire safety, emergency preparedness and response, electrical safety, slips, trips and falls, and first aid. Advise team members working from home on how to report an injury or close call and how to get help in case of an emergency.

3. Violence & Harassment. Remote workers, like all employees, must be protected from violence and harassment, which includes virtual harassment and virtual sexual harassment that occurs during work. The definition of harassment was changed to include these protections in the Working for Workers Five Act, which passed in October 2024. “Update your violence and harassment policy and procedures to include this change, if you haven’t already, and provide training on responding to and reporting incidents,” suggests Tanya.

4. Mental health. “Feeling isolated is a common concern among people working from home,” says Tanya. “This can increase their job stress and negatively affect their overall well-being.” The best solution is to ensure virtual workers have frequent contact with people from the office, either online, by phone or face to face. For example:

• Communicate often. Ensure managers and supervisors check in regularly with home office workers to see how they are doing.
• Hold virtual drop-in sessions with your work group. These can be work-related or just for fun.
• Hold planning meetings and team meetings in person if possible.

How WSPS can help

• Our experts can conduct virtual office ergonomic assessments with your remote workers to assess their current office workstation setup and provide recommendations to prevent MSDs.

Training

• Conducting Office Ergonomic Assessments (online instructor-led training, 1 day)
• Office Ergonomics (eCourse, 1 hour)
• Domestic Violence in the Workplace (eCourse, 1 hour)

Resources

• Take steps now to protect your teleworkers from domestic violence (article)
• Office Workstation Design (toolkit)
• Home Office Workstation Checklist
• Safety Check: Office Workstation Safety
• Setting up a Temporary Laptop Workstation
• Work; Warm-Up; Stretch and Flexibility Program – At Home Flexibility Stretches
• Safety Tips: What should employees consider when setting up a home office? (video)
• Do you 20-8-2? (video)
• Teleworking: 7 ways to reduce noise and improve well-being (article)
• Shopping for home office equipment? Consider ergonomics (article)
• Office Ergonomics Calculator (Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers)
• Right To Disconnect – Infographic Poster

Events

• Register for Partners in Prevention 2025 Central Regional Health & Safety Conference in Mississauga on May 27 and hear how to improve communication in your workplace during this session:
  • Leading Vs Managing: Communication and Culture is a Choice – Mindy Weir,
    Senior Director, Regional Distribution, Grainger Canada – With today’s complex work environments, it’s important to reduce employee turnover and ensure everyone feels valued and part of the team. To build this kind of culture, companies need to focus on accountability, engagement, and recognition. In this talk, Mindy will share her experience and insights on promoting engagement in demanding situations, emphasizing diversity in leadership, leading with empathy to inspire employees, and creating a sense of belonging to boost performance.

The information in this article is accurate as of its publication date