Are Stipends for Remote Employees a Good ROI?
Remote work was already a growing trend. Prior to the pandemic, according to Flexjobs, “ In the span of one year, from 2016 to 2017, remote work grew 7.9%. Over the last five years it grew 44% and over the previous 10 years it grew 91%.”
Since COVID-19 impacted the world, many more workers were suddenly working from home. Large companies like Twitter, Facebook, Shopify and Square are now making work from home the new normal.
Many of these same companies have also committed to help cover the costs to set up a home office. But, are these stipends money that is wasted or is it used to benefit the health of employees?
Before you think the worse, stipends are a good thing. Helping to cover the costs of home office chairs, desks and other needed equipment is a benefit remote employees need. But employees also need education on best ergonomics and product types to use in their particular home office situation in order to spend their stipend wisely.
Someone working from home on a laptop has differing needs than someone a desktop. Someone with a dedicated office space as differing needs than a person that is making do in any space. This is where an ergonomic specialist can help in the decision-making process. What are ways to help your employees?
A virtual office ergonomic assessment of the current home or remote office situation will divulge areas of most importance to spend the stipend for maximizing the ROI. Another option is a webinar on office ergonomics in varied settings with examples of ways to accommodate multiple situations,
Empowering employees with the knowledge they need to help them in choosing the best home office options for the remote office can prevent MSDs, improve productivity and improve the quality of life for your employees.
