Kashmira Aspar works as a casual administrator at a Sydney private college.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she would have liked to work from home to save time on commutes and have more energy and time for her active six-year-old son.
But the new reality is far more challenging than what she had pictured, and she is struggling with accessing all necessary systems and files.
I think it was about getting all our technology right, getting that support from our organisation, make sure that I had all the tools that I needed.
Tim Downie, senior personal injury lawyer with Adelaide law firm Johnston Withers, says employers have a duty of care to ensure their staff have a safe work environment that meets .
Downie says the employer’s obligations are the same as when a worker is in an office environment. He advises both parties to reach an agreement around the safety of a home-based workstation.
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Dr Robin Price, a lecturer in human resource management and employment relations at Central Queensland University, says your employer is legally required to protect you with workers’ compensation if you are hurt while working from home.
Helen Sawa, marketing manager of Melbourne IT consultancy , says the global pandemic has forced organisations to rapidly transition their staff to operate remotely, and many companies are unable to provide their employees with the right tools to productively work from home.
A lot of these organisations prior to this whole coronavirus pandemic never thought of having the scope for these solutions and never thought of actually providing them for their employees.
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Dr Price says organisations are under pressure to find ways to keep their doors open amid the challenges.
The university that I work for as a casual, they don't have enough laptops to give to all their staff to go home and teach online at home.
As for Aspar, the hardware is not a major issue compared to her poor internet connectivity at home. She had to make up lost time by working late at night.
Michael Crocker, who heads Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, says workers who set up home offices could in their personal tax returns.
Crocker advises workers to remain vigilant when they work in shared home spaces to protect important private information.
Communication is essential to increase collaboration, productivity and prevent loneliness. Tim Downie considers now a lucky time to be working in isolation where technology allows teams to stay connected.
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We do have technologies, FaceTiming and so forth where we can set up that face contact and have those discussions, for example, one of our teams is still doing Friday drinks using FaceTime.
This is not possible for Aspar whose lack of internet connectivity has affected her performance and efficiency. The hardest part is not knowing how long this situation will last.
I am casual staff. If ever there were job cuts I would be the first one to go and to add to that will my family be safe?
Visit the website for information on your rights and responsibilities during the coronavirus outbreak.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
If you’re under stress and need emotional support, call on 13 11 14 or on 1300 22 4636 for 24-hour support. If you’re under 25, you can also call the on 1800 55 1800 anytime for any reason.
You can also ring the national on 1800 131 450 for language support to help you reach your desired support agencies.
