Teleworking from the Home Office: Workers’ Compensation Risk Considerations for Local Government Employers

At CIRSA, we often get the question of whether local government employees are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for injuries occurring while they’re working from home with employer authorization. In general, an employee injury occurring while working from home can be compensable just like injuries occurring on a traditional job site or in the office, if the injury arose while performing a service arising out of and in the course of the employee’s employment. CIRSA’s latest blog post underscores the practical challenges employers face in evaluating remote work claims and managing risk, and offers actionable guidance for local government employers, including the importance of clear remote work policies, defined work parameters, and proactive safety measures. By establishing expectations around designated workspaces, authorized duties, and injury reporting, local government employers can better position themselves to reduce uncertainty, improve claim outcomes, and support employee safety in a remote work setting. The blog post also includes links to additional teleworking safety and ergonomics resources prepared by the CIRSA Risk Control department and a sample remote workspace safety checklist prepared by an external government employer. Read the full CIRSA Blog Post and access the additional resources here.