It’s official – a walk from your bed to your desk can be classed as a commute.
And no, we’re not kidding.
A court made the ruling earlier this week after a man slipped walking from his bed to his computer, and successfully claimed it was a “workplace accident”.
The German man, who has not been named, fell down the stairs and broke his back while walking from his bedroom to his home office.
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His employer’s insurance refused to cover the claim, and two less senior courts struggled to agree whether this really did qualify as a commute.
However, the higher federal social court in Kassel has overruled these courts, declaring: “The first morning journey from bed to the home office was an insured work route.”
The ruling was decided after the court heard the employee would usually start work in the office “immediately” after waking out, and would forego breakfast.
However, they said the insurance was only afforded on the 'first' journey to work, suggesting if he had gone to get breakfast from the office afterwards, thus would not be considered a commute.
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The court ruling reads: “The plaintiff suffered an accident at work when he fell on the way to his home office in the morning.
“It is not known if the man was forced to work from home because of the pandemic or if he had done so previously.
“If the insured activity is carried out in the household of the insured person or at another location, insurance cover is provided to the same extent as when the activity is carried out at the company premises.”
The ruling is now thought to cover “teleworking positions”, setting a precedent for employees which have “computer workstations that are permanently set up by the employer in the private area of the employees.”
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So next time you roll out of bed and slump on the desk in your PJ’s to crack on with your work day, pat yourself on the back for getting through an arduous commute.
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