German worker at home has filed a claim against the employer for an accident that occurred while he was walking between his bed and his computer.
Unnamed man broke his back after falling down stairs as he walked from his bedroom to the office.
He was refused coverage by his employer and two courts lower disagreed about whether the claim could qualify as a commute.
A German court ruled that walking from your bed to your workstation while you are at home constitutes commuting. (file image).
The Kassel federal higher social court, which handles social security matters, stated that ‘the first journey from bed in the morning to the home office was insured work route.
The Guardian reported that The Guardian stated that an employee who was working at the time would often start work immediately without breakfast.
They said that the insurance coverage was available only for the first journey to work. This implies that a second trip to the office to grab breakfast would not count as a commute.
According to the court, the plaintiff was injured in an accident while working when he fell as a result of a commute from work.
The man may not have been able to return home due to the pandemic.
Companies have a responsibility to take care of employees no matter their location.
Companies have an obligation to care for their employees, regardless of where they work.
Court ruled that insurance covers are available for insured activities carried out within the domicile of the insured or in another place.
They added the law applied to ‘teleworking positions’, defined as ‘computer workstations permanently set up by the employer in the private area of the employees’.