The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has issued a blunt reminder to employers: the legal duty to protect workers’ health and safety does not stop at the office door — and for the millions of people now working from home or in hybrid arrangements, that duty applies in full.
“Protecting the health and safety of your hybrid and home workers is a legal duty, not optional guidance,” the HSE stated in June 2026, as it directed renewed enforcement attention to the home working environment — an area that many organisations have treated as an informal, lower-risk space since the rapid expansion of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three areas in focus
The HSE identified three priority risk areas for home and hybrid workers that it expects employers to be actively managing.
1. Stress and mental health
Work-related stress, depression and anxiety remain the leading cause of work-related ill health in Britain. In 2024/25, 964,000 workers reported experiencing work-related stress, depression or anxiety — with those conditions accounting for an estimated 22.1 million lost working days. For home workers, the risks can be compounded by isolation, blurred boundaries between work and personal time, difficulty switching off, and a lack of informal social support. The HSE expects employers to assess these risks, implement controls — including regular manager check-ins, clear workload expectations, and access to mental health support — and keep records of the assessment where the business employs five or more people.
2. Display screen equipment (DSE)
The same DSE obligations that apply in the office apply at home. Employers must ensure that home workers have an appropriate workstation setup — including a suitable chair, monitor at the right height, adequate lighting, and sufficient space — and that DSE risk assessments are completed and acted on. A laptop balanced on a kitchen table, used for extended periods without an external keyboard or monitor, is a compliance issue — not just a comfort one.
3. Working environment — accidents, emergencies, and lone working
Home workers can face risks that are often overlooked in conventional WHS programs: slips, trips and falls; limited access to first aid; difficulty raising the alarm in an emergency; and the specific risks associated with lone working, including delayed response in the event of a medical incident. Employers are expected to consider these risks and establish appropriate arrangements.
The Australian parallel
While this guidance comes from the UK regulator, the obligations it describes have direct parallels in Australian WHS law. PCBUs in all Australian jurisdictions are required to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable — and that obligation extends to the home office environment when workers are directed or permitted to work from home. With hybrid work now embedded in most professional and administrative workplaces across Australia, SafeWork regulators have similarly indicated that WHS compliance in home working environments is an increasing area of focus.
What employers should do
The HSE’s practical recommendations include conducting formal risk assessments for home workers covering physical environment, DSE setup, and psychosocial risks; ensuring managers maintain regular contact with remote team members; establishing clear expectations about working hours to prevent “always on” culture; making mental health resources accessible and visible to home workers; and reviewing whether lone worker protocols and emergency contact arrangements are in place. Free resources to help businesses conduct home-working risk assessments are available at hse.gov.uk/home-working.
