Hybrid working: assessing two workstations without doubling the work

Hybrid working created a problem the 1992 regulations never anticipated: most DSE users now have two workstations, and the employer controls only one of them.

Both are in scope

There is no version of the duty where the office desk counts and the kitchen table does not. If someone is a DSE user and works at two places, both are workstations.

A perfectly specified office desk does not offset three days a week on a dining chair. If anything, the contrast makes the home setup more noticeable to the person using it.

How to cover both without doubling the admin

The two setups have different risk profiles, so they deserve different treatment rather than the same assessment run twice.

The office

Usually specified, usually consistent, often shared. Assess the standard setup once, then check that individuals can adjust it to fit them.

The home

Unspecified and unique to each person. This is where individual self-assessment earns its keep, because you have no other visibility.

In practice most small employers run one individual assessment focused on the home setup, and handle the office through a standard workstation specification plus a shorter check.

The hot-desking wrinkle

Many hybrid offices moved to hot-desking at the same time. A shared desk is re-set for each person, which in practice means it is set for nobody.

Two cheap measures help a lot: make sure every shared desk has a height-adjustable monitor arm or riser, and put a one-page setup card on each desk.

When to reassess

A change in the split between home and office is exactly the sort of substantial change that triggers a review. Specifically:

• Someone moves from mostly office to mostly home, or the reverse.
• They move house, or change the room they work in.
• The office is reconfigured or the business moves.
• They report discomfort, which is the most important trigger of all.

The equipment question

Hybrid workers carry kit, or duplicate it. Carrying a laptop and charger in a shoulder bag several times a week is its own risk, and duplicating a keyboard and mouse for home costs less than most people expect.

For a business issuing equipment, the cheapest sensible default is a docking setup at the office and a stand, keyboard and mouse at home, with a padded backpack for the journey.