It is many a year since I was one of those dedicated staff members who would arrive at work before everyone else and very often be the last to leave – requiring me to lock up and be a key holder. Having always been fairly tall, and sensible looking, it was never an issue and it saved bosses getting up that bit earlier to be in before the staff. In this day and age this would be unacceptable. The changes in work patterns, especially since the scourge of Covid has made every HR department rewrite their office and staff handbooks. There are now so many recommendations and rules that no sensible manager will ever allow staff to work alone. It is unclear what has brought this about with such rigour but the lack of immediate support and medical assistance is cited as one of the main objections to solo working. The strange thing is that many folk now work from home and they are generally very solo indeed in that situation. Of course, the responsibility passes from the office to the owner of the house in which folk do their working from home – unless the solo worker is married to the owner of said building.

There is the case for avoiding any chance of work place violence – an employee working in a quiet area or even in a noisy public facing job, but without colleagues around, could be subject to assault. There is sadly a great deal more violence out in the public sphere than there used to be. This is a social problem; drug abuse, mental health issues and a general lack of respect for those in authority whilst at school has caused chunk of a whole generation of school leavers to not know how to behave or look out for another person’s well being. To ensure that no employee is at risk of bad behaviour or worse, most work place handbooks will stipulate that solo working is to be discouraged. Of course, there are situations when this just happens. In a small outfit, there may be just one person who acts as reception, secretary and all other administrative roles. In social groups where the organisation has as office somewhere, it is often the case that the secretary, or treasurer will find themselves on their own for a good part of the day. Unless there are fleets of volunteers out there, on standby and able to join them at the office, then solo working will continue. If tradesmen or repairs teams need access, there should be a means of organising a volunteer to be in situ at the same time so no young assistant finds themselves alone during a visit. That is unacceptable to both parties. Generally a round the table chat amongst all the parties responsible for running the charity should be able to air these difficulties and ensure adequate cover is available as needed.