Lone Worker Policy

Harmony at Home Lone Worker Policy

Lone working covers jobs in public facing roles, which includes Nannies, Household Staff, Employment Agency Staff and Small Business Owners. A lone worker is an individual who is alone when at work where assistance is not readily available when needed. A lone worker is someone who works by themselves without direct or close supervision.

When visiting the home of someone else you put yourself at potential risks. Personal safety should always come first. You should always be aware of risks, and how to deal with situations which make you unsafe.

This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers, employed staff, volunteers and seasonal workers, agency staff, students or anyone working on behalf of Harmony at Home, and all staff should be made aware of this policy.

This policy should be read alongside our Safeguarding Policy.

We recognise that:

We have a legal duty to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our employees and volunteers whilst at work. We are aware that staff may be working either in our offices or externally.

We must take the health and safety of all Franchisees, and work seekers seriously, and whilst Franchisees and work seekers are not employees, we feel that this policy provides a framework which will minimise risks as far as is reasonably practical.

Aim and Scope

This policy aims to alert staff, Franchisees and work seekers to the risks presented by lone working, to identify the responsibilities each person has in situations, and to describe procedures to minimise risks; this policy is a framework to manage potentially risky situations.

To help to identify where appropriate training is required by staff in order that they can recognise risks and be better equipped with practical tips on personal safety when working alone.

To ensure reporting and recording of all incidents relating to lone working, to reduce the number of incidents relating to lone working.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up based on law and guidance that seeks to protect workers, namely:

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Client Background Checks by Recruiters and Franchisees

The Employment Agency will check that the client vacancy is genuine by asking how they found out about Harmony at Home, and why they have chosen Harmony at Home.

The Employment Agency will also check that the client is who they say they are prior to any recruitment or in home visits or interviews with works seekers commencing. Where the workplace is within a venue such as a Hotel, the Employment Agency will check by calling the venue to check that the event / request for an event nanny or evening babysitter is legitimate.

Risk Assessment for Lone Workers (Household Staff including Nannies)

Risk assessments must be carried out by all individuals who are lone workers. The risk assessment must cover the following (this list is not exhaustive):

• Security – Safe Entry and Exit of the client home or other location
• Location – Is the location remote, where do you park, is there mobile signal
• Communication – how to communicate in an emergency
• Accidents or sudden illnesses where there is no one to call on for first aid or help
• Security of the client home – Alarms, CCTV
• Fire risk
• Reporting and recording incidents
• General communication and tracking
• Personal Safety and security of personal belongings
• Any previous incidents known

Employment Agency Work Seeker Interview with Clients

All work seekers booked to attend an interview or a placement with a client in person will have the details of the interview time recorded by the Employment Agency and communicated to them as follows:

1. Name and emergency contact details of recruiter (Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee)
2. Name of client
3. Client address and address of interview (if different)
4. Client contact number
5. Date and time of interview

Where the role is based within a hotel (event nanny / evening babysitter) the Work Seeker must have ‘Nanny Insurance’ and check in with the Hotel front desk to inform the Hotel of their arrival. Furthermore, the work seeker must ensure that they check out with the Hotel front desk upon departure.

All work seekers must:

1. Have spoken to the client prior to the face-to-face meeting, to ask questions which will reduce risk. This could be asking for directions, parking details, who will be in the client home etc. This should ideally be a video call.
2. Prior to departing, the work seeker should contact the Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee to confirm that they are on their way.
3. Upon arrival they should contact the Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee to confirm that they have arrived.
4. Upon departure they should contact the Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee to confirm that they have left the client home.

All work seekers will be given the Employment Agencies Recruiter or Franchisee emergency contact mobile number which can be used 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

If the work seeker does not contact the Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee to confirm that they are safe or is unable to be contacted throughout any of these stages, the Police will be informed.

If a work seeker feels unsafe, they must immediately remove themselves from the situation and report the incident to the Employment Agency Recruiter or Franchisee.

Franchisees and Employed Recruitment Consultants Visits with Clients

All Franchisees and employed recruitment consultants booked to attend an in-home visit with a client will have the details of the visit time recorded and communicated to the National Office or their preferred person as follows:

1. Franchisee / Recruiter name and contact number
2. Name of client
3. Client address
4. Client contact number
5. Date and time of meeting

All Franchisees / Recruiters must:

1. Have spoken to the client prior to the face-to-face meeting, to ask questions which will reduce risk. This could be asking for directions, parking details, who will be in the client home etc. This should ideally be a video call.
2. Prior to departing, the Franchisee / Recruiter should contact the National Office or their preferred person to confirm that they are on their way.
3. Upon arrival they should contact the National Office or their preferred person to confirm that they have arrived.
4. Upon departure they should contact the National Office or their preferred person to confirm that they have left the client home.

All Franchisees and Recruiters will be given the National Office or their preferred persons emergency contact mobile number which can be used 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

If the Franchisee / Recruiter does not contact the National Office or their preferred person to confirm that they are safe or is unable to be contacted throughout any of these stages, the Police will be informed.

To stay safe in your job search we recommend that you visit the JobsAware website (previously SAFERjobs), a non-profit, joint industry and law enforcement organisation working to combat job scams. Visit the JobsAware website for information on common scams and to get free, expert advice for a safer job search. Harmony at Home is a registered recruitment agency with JobsAware

All lone workers are responsible for following safe systems of work and should follow this policy to reduce the risks associated with carrying out their normal duties.

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed March 2023

Copyright © All Rights Reserved, Harmony at Home March 2023