Working from Home and Work Related Personal Injury Claims

Working from Home and Work Related Personal Injury Claims

When the first Covid-19 lockdown was announced by the government last March, the guidance to employers was that all those that could reasonably work from home must do so. Whilst that guidance has now changed both employees and employers have come accustomed to these arrangements and the benefits they bring.

For employers, there are cost savings in terms of office space and utility expenses etc, and for employees, a more flexible approach to the work/life balance is sometimes achieved. It is therefore no surprise that over the last 18 months companies have had an opportunity to review their own and their employee’s needs. Internal communication experts have recently been debating whether many companies will be encouraging employees to go back onsite on a full-time basis. As the needs of the company and employees have changed considerably throughout this period, both parties’ requirements will need to be reviewed as part of these discussions.

It seems likely that going forwards, in those industries where it is possible a hybrid working pattern, perhaps 2 days physically in the office and 3 days working from home for example will be the solution. Indeed that is what we are doing here at Bakers.

Workplace Injury Compensation Claims 

With this in mind, it is perhaps no coincidence that reported Personal Injury claims have fallen substantially. For example, figures show that in the last 3 months of 2019 223,670 claims were reported compared to 172,736 in the last 3 months of 2020. A fall of 50,934 or 23%. This seems likely because of not only the working at home trend, but the knock on effect of not having to travel. The exposure to the risk of injury has been substantially reduced during the lockdowns.

As we return to a “new normal” it is likely that claims will increase but for the reasons above it is unlikely to reach post pandemic levels. This is of course good news, however, employers still have a duty to reduce the risk of injury to their employers to the minimum reasonable level possible and if you have been injured in the course of your employment it is important that you seek professional advice.

Accidents at Work Solicitors 

At Bakers we pride ourselves on our experience in representing claimants who have been injured through no fault of their own, helping them to receive compensation that they are properly entitled to. Our professional, friendly claims team will give you an honest, free and ‘plain English’ appraisal of your claim and we love delighting our clients when they receive the injury compensation they deserve.

If you would like us to handle your personal injury compensation claim, you can contact us online or by phone on 01252 744600.