When the kitchen becomes the office: safety for home and hybrid workers

Reviewed and updated July 2026. Statistics reflect HSE’s 2025/26 provisional fatality figures and 2024/25 ill-health and injury data.

More than one in four UK workers now follow a hybrid working pattern, splitting their time between traditional offices and home setups². For many, this means the kitchen table has become the boardroom, the spare bedroom doubles as headquarters, and the sofa serves as the meeting room. While this transformation offers unprecedented flexibility, it also creates health and safety obligations that UK employers must navigate carefully.

Here’s the reality: if your employee is working from their kitchen table and develops back problems, or struggles with stress due to poor work-life boundaries, you’re still legally responsible. This article explores what this means in practice and how to protect both your workforce and your business.

Employer obligations extend beyond the office

The location may have changed, but your responsibilities haven’t. UK employers have identical health and safety duties for homeworkers as they do for office-based staff¹. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must assess and manage risks wherever work takes place⁴.

This means two key areas demand your attention:

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments

If your employee uses their laptop or computer for an hour or more, that makeshift desk setup needs to be assessed for safety and ergonomics¹. Employees can carry out self-assessments when you provide proper guidance and training.

Mental health and wellbeing

When the commute becomes a walk from bedroom to kitchen, work-life boundaries can blur dangerously. You need to consider workload, work patterns, and support mechanisms while maintaining regular meaningful contact with your team¹.

Why homeworking risks need renewed focus

Remote work isn’t going anywhere. The pandemic didn’t just temporarily relocate the office, it permanently redefined it. The latest ONS data shows that 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in autumn 2024², confirming that flexible working arrangements have become a fixture of the UK workplace.

This shift means your duty of care now extends far beyond your office walls. A safe workplace might be a kitchen in Manchester, a converted bedroom in Brighton, or a garden office in Glasgow.

The hidden hazards of homeworking

Ergonomics: the cost of makeshift workstations

Picture this: an employee has been working from their kitchen table for six months, hunched over a laptop, sitting on a dining chair designed for meals, not eight-hour workdays. Their shoulders ache, their neck is stiff, and they’re developing what feels like permanent back pain.

Poor ergonomics isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s costly. Unsuitable seating, awkward screen positions, and cramped workspaces can cause serious musculoskeletal problems¹. Your guidance on proper chair height, monitor positioning, and keyboard placement is essential protection.

Mental health challenges of homeworking

When home becomes the office, switching off becomes incredibly difficult. An employee may find themselves answering emails at 10 PM because their laptop is permanently open on the kitchen counter. The boundaries between home and work can become blurred.

Isolation, extended hours, and the pressure to be “always available” can significantly impact mental health. Regular check-ins are good management practice and a crucial safety measure¹.

Common household hazards at work

Home environments present risks that might never occur in a purpose-built office. That trailing cable from the laptop charger, the cup of tea balanced precariously next to expensive equipment, or the family pet who’s discovered the joy of walking across keyboards during video calls.

Slips, trips, and falls remain the most common cause of workplace injury in Great Britain³. When the workplace is someone’s living space, these everyday hazards multiply.

The statistics behind homeworking risks

The latest HSE statistics paint a clear picture of why proactive risk management matters. In 2024/25, 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related illness, including 964,000 cases of stress, depression, or anxiety, and 511,000 musculoskeletal disorders³. Work-related injuries affected 680,000 people³, while 126 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents during 2025/26 (provisional)⁵.

These statistics represent real people whose working conditions, whether in traditional offices or home setups, weren’t adequately protected.

Five steps to protect your remote workforce

Protecting your remote workforce doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your operations. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Assess every home workspace

Conduct DSE risk assessments for all home-based staff¹. Provide clear guidance and training so employees can assess their own setups effectively. You should also ask about electrical safety, heating and ventilation. In fact, all of the safety, health and welfare issues you would look for in a fixed workplace.

2. Invest in ergonomic education

Train your team on proper workstation setup¹. A short session on chair adjustment and screen positioning can prevent months of back problems and sick leave.

3. Prioritise mental health support

Schedule regular check-ins that go beyond work tasks. Provide access to mental health resources and actively promote healthy work-life boundaries¹.

4. Plan for emergencies

Ensure remote workers know emergency procedures and have access to fire and first-aid guidance¹. Consider what happens if someone has an accident while working from home.

5. Keep evolving

Regularly review and update your policies to reflect how remote work continues to develop in your organisation.

Creating safe and sustainable homeworking

Remote working offers unprecedented flexibility and can boost both productivity and job satisfaction. However, turning someone’s kitchen into a safe, productive office space requires the same attention to health and safety as any traditional workplace.

The key is recognising that your duty of care travels with your employees, whether they’re at a desk in your headquarters or at their kitchen table. With proper risk assessment, clear guidance, and ongoing support, you can ensure that homeworking is both safe and successful.

By taking these steps, you’re not just meeting legal obligations, you’re creating conditions where your team can thrive, wherever they choose to work.

Please note: This blog provides general health and safety guidance for UK workplaces. Following these steps does not guarantee legal compliance. To conduct a full health and safety self-assessment today, download our Health & Safety 360° Guide 2026/2027.

References

¹ Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Protect home workers: working safely with display screen equipment and managing home workers’ health and safety

² Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2024). Who are the hybrid workers?

³ Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Key figures for Great Britain

⁴ The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Regulation 3)

⁵ Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain