Borehamwood-headquartered software company TAAP has launched a free Work From Home app which it hopes will help UK businesses  work safely from home, keep tabs on company equipment and help boost productivity.

The app, available across Android, iOS and Windows asks employees to complete a risk assessment of their homes, ensuring they have functioning fire alarms and is protected against physical and cyber theft.

It will also check ergonomics so employers can confirm staff can sit correctly to avoid back problems.

The app will also ask for a list of equipment employees have at home, and what they need, so employers keep track of office gear, as well as make sure staff have everything they need to work productively. Finally it will allow for feedback on employees’ work from home experience.

The TAAP Work From Home app brings the challenges of managing staff operating out of their home workspaces very clearly into focus for the management of the business, HR, and a significant increase in administration, HR/H&S ensuring staff have the correct seating, desks and monitors, lighting, IT ensuring staff are correctly setup, securely setup, Procurement that the right equipment is purchased for staff, Finance, ensuring budgets exist to cope with this shift to home and office, hybrid working.

TAAP’s CEO, Steve Higgon, said: “New technologies like TAAP Work From Home are going to be key to managing the new world of work and measuring the pulse of an organisation.

“With millions of people now regularly working from home, rather than just one or two offices, companies need to worry about potentially thousands of micro-offices that are now an extension of their office.

“Employers need to be able to assess their staffs’ at-home risks to comply with their legal requirements as well as ensure staff have the right equipment that allows them to work well.

“While companies work hard to make sure that the office environment is up to scratch, the TAAP Work From Home app helps bring this kind of rigour to home working and, with this in mind, we think it will also help boost productivity.”