Last year, many businesses shut down their physical locations and instructed their employees to work from home. As the year continued, so did this trend. Now, its 2021 and many employees are still working remotely. That has led many people to call us and ask if they still have workers' compensation benefits when they are working from home. As attorneys that work with workers' compensation in Orlando, we have the answers you are looking for. Here are a few things you need to know about whether you are covered by workers' compensation benefits when you are working at home.
Whenever you are working from home, your home is now considered your workplace. This means that when you are on the clock, you are technically eligible for the same workers' compensation benefits that you were when you were physically in the office. You will, however, need to be injured when you are performing activities or tasks related to your job.
We all take breaks from time-to-time. When you are home, these breaks may look a little different than talking to a coworker to grabbing a coffee from the break room. Instead, you may fold a quick load of laundry or watch the weather. Workers' compensation benefits only apply to you when you are performing work-related tasks. Keep this in mind if you happen to get injured when you are in the shower during the work day, as this won't be covered by your benefits.
When you are working from home and suffer an injury, you will still need to prove the cause of the injury was related to work tasks. However, this will be more difficult when you are working remotely. You won't have any employees that witnessed the incident, which can make it more difficult to provide evidence. Be aware of this challenge, as it may make a more difficult case unless you have concrete proof that the accident was work-related.
When it comes to being injured at home from work-related causes, you will want to ask yourself a few of these questions. Think about whether your employer was benefiting from something you were doing at the time of the injury. Also, did your employer require you to engage in the activity that caused your injury? Lastly, consider whether the employer approved of the task you were doing that caused your injury. If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you are likely covered under workers' compensation.
These are just a few things that you need to know about workers' compensation and working from home. As many businesses keep their doors shut or keep their capacity limited in the office space, many people continue to work from home. If you have any questions about your workers' compensation in Orlando, contact our experienced attorneys for the answers today.