Home office: These insurances are important in your own office

Whether you're an employee or self-employed, you need to protect yourself against the risks of everyday life, even when working from home. Although the protection of statutory accident insurance has been extended to home offices, in many cases you still cannot do without private accident insurance. In this article, we will look at which insurance policies are recommended for employees and self-employed individuals in a home office setting.

Fundamentals of statutory accident insurance (including in the home office)

If you are employed, statutory accident insurance is part of your job. It is a branch of social insurance and is one of the compulsory insurance policies for employees. The basis for this is the Seventh Book of the Social Code.

These are essentially the tasks of statutory accident insurance:

• To provide coverage for occupational accidents and diseases and the resulting health risks
• To restore an insured person's ability to work after an insured event occurs
• To compensate the insured person or their survivors in the event of a work-related illness

Primarily, statutory accident insurance covers employees and trainees. However, there are also some other groups of people who can benefit from the benefits: employees of public interest institutions, children in daycare facilities, people working in agriculture, and the unemployed. In addition, you are also covered by statutory accident insurance if you are currently in the hospital or in rehabilitation.

Statutory Accident Insurance in the Home Office

But what about when you work from home? Nearly 25 percent of employed people in Germany worked at least partially from a home office in 2021. Almost a tenth of employees even worked entirely from their own homes. Statutory accident insurance still applies to you as an employee even when you work from a home office.

In June 2021, the scope of statutory accident insurance was extended to cover the home office without gaps – within the framework of your work. This means you are just as well insured in the company as you are in your home office. The accident insurance therefore has the same scope within the framework of your activity.

Important: If you go to the toilet or the kitchen in your home office, this trip is always covered. However, the actual toilet visit or the preparation of your meal is unfortunately not covered.

Other insurance you need for your home office

In addition to accident insurance, there are several other insurance policies you need for your home office as an employee. In the insurance conditions of your household contents insurance, you can often read that only private, but not commercial, use of the rooms is insured. But does this mean that I need to take out additional insurance for my home office?

No, because the room is only occasionally used for business purposes and therefore does not need to be reported to the insurer. Your home office is therefore automatically included in the scope of your household contents insurance.

Info: What does household contents insurance actually cover? Household contents insurance protects all movable objects in your owned home or rental apartment. This includes, for example, tables, chairs, or even the furnishings in your home office. Damage can occur here, for example, due to storms, fire, burglary, or vandalism.

Insurance for the Self-Employed: What you should know

As a self-employed entrepreneur, you have to take care of most things yourself – including your insurance. In addition to the basics like statutory or private health insurance, in this section we'll look at what other insurance policies you should take out as a self-employed person.

Depending on the size and value of your business, public liability insurance can be crucial for you. It covers instances where customers, employees, or visitors to your business suffer harm and make a claim against you. Public liability also covers short-term breakdowns of commercially used items or medical treatment costs that exceed the statutory limits. Thus, it is one of the most important insurance policies for self-employed individuals.

What do you do if your business premises are destroyed or you can't work for several weeks due to a cyber incident? In such a case, as a self-employed person, you won't receive continued salary payments, and your rent and special costs will continue to accrue. You might have to pay employees, pay license fees, or continue paying for electricity and heating. In the event of a prolonged business interruption, these costs can represent an immense burden.

Business interruption insurance can therefore be a real lifesaver for the self-employed. Should your business experience a breakdown, it covers the following costs, among others:

• Wages and salaries
• Rent and ancillary rental costs
• Loss of profit
• Social expenses of all kinds
• Ongoing costs for heating and electricity

Depending on the insurer, various causes of damage are covered by business interruption insurance. Damages caused by burst pipes, fire, burglary, or vandalism are usually included. Some insurers also include outages due to natural disasters in their insurance coverage.

Further tips for your home office

In addition to insurance, other aspects are also important in your own home office. In the last paragraph, we will therefore look at some more general tips on how to work best in your own office.

At Deskspace, we recommend making your office as homely and comfortable as possible. In a familiar and pleasant atmosphere, you will be more focused and able to perform better. A good home office should include houseplants, for example, as they improve air quality, among other things. In addition, the color green has a calming effect on the body and increases your productivity. With small personal items such as pictures or gifts, you can make your office more personal, and it will almost feel like a living room.

Tip: Always place your desk at a 90-degree angle to the window. This prevents reflections on the screen and allows you to always see everything clearly. In addition, the correct lighting of your workplace increases your productivity.

Ergonomic office furniture is also important so that you don't jeopardize your health even on long days. Deskspace has made it its mission to make ergonomic sitting and standing stools as well as height-adjustable desks standard in all offices. The Deskspace Pro, for example, is a desk that covers all important functions. Electric height adjustment, a robust surface, and a child lock make it the perfect companion for your daily work.

For more information, feel free to visit the Deskspace website!

Now you know the basics of insurance in the home office. Various policies ensure that you are ideally protected in your professional life, both as an employee and as a self-employed person!