Remote job asks employee for a full video of their workspace so a third party vendor can do a 'safety assessment': 'Your employer wants supervised access to your home'

Your personal space is just that. Personal. 

Your room is a private thing. It feels intimate to let anyone else see it, let alone spend time in there. It's the place where you can be your most unfettered self. You shouldn't have to hide anything in your room; you should feel free to let it all loose. If you can't be yourself in your room, then where can you? Sure, you might make it presentable for company, but you get to choose who enters your room and when. And everyone has different comfort levels about their personal space. Some people wouldn't mind if everyone sat on their beds during a party, but other people would keep the door closed all night. All to say, you have a right to your own comfort and your own preferences. And the last thing you would want interfering in your personal space is your job. 

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  • 01
    A man uses a computer with his cat sitting next to him
    via Ga

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    My remote company wants a video tour of my workspace and I really do not want to do it.

    I have worked remotely for this company for a little over two years, fully remote the whole time, good reviews, no performance issues, nothing dramatic. This week HR sent out a message saying everyone who works from home has to complete a "workspace
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 03
    verification" through a third party safety vendor. I assumed it would be a checkbox form about chair height and surge protectors or whatever, but no, they want photos of the desk setup plus a short live video call where you pan the room so they can confirm lighting, outlets, walking space, and that your setup is in a "dedicated work area." The
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 04
    problem is I live in a one bedroom apartment and my desk is in the corner of my bedroom because that is where it fits. I am not hiding anything weird, I just do not like the idea of a stranger on a vendor call asking me to slowly rotate my laptop around my home like I am listing it for rent. I asked
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 05
    whether I could just submit pictures cropped tightly around the desk and got a very corporate answer about how the review has to be "comprehensive." A couple coworkers already did it and are acting like I am making this into a huge thing, but one of them told
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 06
    me the person on the call asked to see under the desk and what was plugged into the wall. That feels kind of insane to me. The company does not have an office anywhere near me, so it is not like I have another place to work from. I get that they want to reduce liability or pretend they care about ergonomics, but there
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 07
    is a point where remote work stops being flexible and starts feeling like your employer wants supervised access to your home. Has anyone else had this pop up latley, and did you push back or just do it and move on?
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 08
    A man types on a laptop at home
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • That idea gets a little bit complicated when it comes to remote work. Remote work is great for employees in a lot of ways, but it can also blur the lines between personal time and work time. You're on the clock, but you're also in your own home. You're at the office, but your office might be your bedroom. And if you live in a small space, there might be very little difference between your workspace and your living space. But it's up to you how you negotiate that. You should have the freedom to set up your space however you'd like. But the company in this story wasn't satisfied with that. They wanted a little more control over their employee's lives than the average work-from-home job. They wanted to see exactly what their employees were working with at home. They cloaked it under the guise of safety, but one worker couldn't help but see through it. They wondered if they had any recourse in this situation, or if they would just have to capitulate to their demands. Keep scrolling for the full story, and see what commenters had to say about it. Then let us know what you would have done in their shoes.

  • 09

    Commenter gave their takes on this story.

    marriedman1008 I would ask that once they see it and approve, are they providing insurance in case of fire or other damage. This is crazy!!
    via marriedman1008
  • 10
    Odd_Entry_6731 Original Poster's Reply That was my first thought too. If they want to inspect my apartment like it's part of the job, they can start covering apartment- level risk too.
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 11
    Serenity Jolt Two years of good reviews, fully remote the whole time, no issues - and now a third party vendor needs to pan around your bedroom to confirm the lighting is acceptable. The liability argument would land better if they had an office they could offer as an alternative. Since they don't, what they're actually saying is "we want supervised access to your living space or we'll make it your problem." I'd probably do it with the tightest possible framing - desk, wall, floor, done - and se
    via SerenityJolt
  • 12
    Odd_Entry_6731 Original Poster's Reply That's probably where I'm at. I'm fine showing the actual desk area, but once it turns into "rotate slowly around your bedroom" it stops feeling like a workspace check and starts feeling creepy as h I to me.
    via Odd_Entry_6731
  • 13
    Away-Paramedic-8406 In addition to other comments, can you put up a foldable portable wall divider? They shouldn't have any reason to see your living space.
    via Away-Paramedic-8406
  • 14
    nonula In this job market, especially for fully remote roles, even though it's a bit intrusive, I would say this is not the hill to di on.
    via nonula
  • 15
    BabysGotAProblem Can you set up a folding screen behind your chair so you can show the "room" as ending with the screen?
    via BabysGotAProblem
  • 16
    Due_Gap_5210 I work in compliance and this sounds like an insurance check box they have to tick. My suggestion is to move your bedroom stuff out of there and set it up as a dedicated office for the day of the inspection. That is, if you value staying remote.
    via Due_Gap_5210
  • 17
    Wrong-Camp2463 Their workers comp insurance provider is requiring it and yes it is within their right to verify your workspace meets safety standards. The looking at what's plugged in into verify you don't have 9 power strips plugged into a 15 amp outlet. They're doing this because someone filed a workers comp claim and this is the response to mitigate future claims required by their insurance.
    via Wrong-Camp2463
  • 18
    Whatchamacallit72 Remote jobs are hard to get. If you want to keep it, figure out a way to make the inspection work without going overboard
    via Whatchamacallit72
  • 19
    P ed-n-Stayin I RTOd about a year ago. I would have gladly complied in order to keep WFH.
    via P ed-n-Stayin
  • 20
    Glen_Fairy This is probably a knee-j reaction to another worker at the company tripping and falling in their home office over some housekeeping problem and filing a claim. Also consider asking for the vendor's safety checklist before hand. What are they looking for? Frayed wires? Obstructed exits? Ergo issues? Or you can ask them that before you pan your camera. How are you supposed to know what is in scope for the review?
    via Glen_Fairy

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