Written and recorded by Paul Roy, Law Hound
Hello. Welcome to this session. My name is Paul. I'm from law. Hound of my background is in finance and managing people. For most businesses, employees are one of the most valuable business resources on us. US. However, most small business owners don't have the luxury of a dedicated hate charm manager and take charts seem to rely on this session looks at what you need to consider when you want to enable your employees to work from home. This includes having a relevant policy on what should be included in that policy. Having stuff we work from home can work well for both the employees on the employer, whether it's occasional otherwise. But let's examine some of Theus usual needs. Consider, whilst we're working through this session together, please note the higher taking current guidance from a cuss into account. What's his home working and why Considerate Home working is a type of flexible working, which can sometimes be used in conjunction with other arrangements, such as flexible hours, working part time term, time working or employers. Call hours. A cast say that home working is a term covering a variety of agreements, including office related rules were some employees were almost entirely at home. Apart from carrying out regular or occasional do sees meetings at the office or with clients. Some employees split their time between working at home a few days a week, depending on the agreements with the employer, with the rest of the time spent in the office or with clients. Some employees work from home only occasionally on travel related roles, where the role may mean that the employee needs to make journeys or spend time out of the office and use their home as a base. The number of home workers who usually spend at least half their work time using their home is rising from 1.3 million from 1998 to 4.2 million in 2014 and increasing each year. There are a number of reasons why employers think about home working on. They include reducing office space. Increased technology means some roles can be performed anywhere. Employees wanted to it more flexibly, particularly for better work. Life balance, cost of commuting may suit certain employees with health or disability concerns, A cast research found. A mix of working from the office and home can yield the best results and job satisfaction work performance under reducing stress jumpsuits ability. A cast say that a key requirements is that the role should be performed just as well away from the business base by someone working on their own. Other socio expect to be unsuitable for completion at home. Taking two accounts equipments is providing the relevant equipment viable, particularly since you'll be responsible for maintenance, etcetera, of anything that you supply confidentiality, particularly worth paper documents are concerned. Teamwork. Do the test depend on the team being constantly together or just require some interaction with email and telephone contacts on some meetings? If you considering home working than as a calf suggest, you should set the factors for assessing whether the role could be done. Justus well away from the business base by someone working on their own dealing the changes. It's equally important to decide on the criteria for reviewing home working. For example, what will happen when the employee moves home or when the employee changes their job? Bro Missus Employees suitable for home working. Assuming that the job is suitable home working, you still need to consider whether home working would suit the particular employees involved jobholders. Eligibility employees often sets outs. Who will be eligible for home working. They can't suggest examples of job holder eligibility may include employees who have requested home working as a reasonable adjustment in terms of a disability under requirements of equality at 2010 employees have requested flexible working employees, have completed a certain length of service or satisfactorily completed their training and achieve satisfactory in their last annual performance review. Is this employee suitable? Suitability does very much depend on the individual employees, and it's vital that the employer understands the implications of working at home. Ensure that your policy takes into accounts that both you on the employee consider and discuss issues such as isolation. Well, the employees feel isolated and happy to spend long periods of time away from colleagues on the business Supervision. Is the employee suited to working with minimal supervision? Working party. It's home working to fit with a more flexible way of working. Would you expect the employees to be available during business hours? For some employees expecting certain court hours a day and allowing the remainder hours to be worked flexibly often works well. Self discipline and motivation be able to clearly define home and work life Location. Is the environment suitable? What is simply going to work? Is there a suitable place that employees can safely and legally work from? As a cast points out, all home workers need a safe, unreasonable space security and privacy in which to work. Run for office sites. Ask an Internet connection able to support work systems. Unfortunately, all too easy to forget what's involved. So here is some of the factors which you will need to consider on what should be included in your policy permission. Ensure that the employee checks that they're able to work from home. But there is nothing to prevent it happening. They may require permission from the mortgage provider or Long Lord. Also, at least notify them of home working, although less likely with most office based roles. Do check also whether any planning permission is required or business rates need to be paid. And, of course, if in doubts, check with the relevant authorities. You may also wish to consider whether you need a formal right and to the employees home subjects with circumstances. Incorporates in this in a contract of employment could give you a formal right to, for example, understate risk assessments, maintain service or retrieve equipment, health and safety. As an employer, you will still have a duty of care if any employee who works from home on relevant health and safety legislation requirements still apply should carry out a risk assessment to ensure that the proposed workplaces suitable, consider factors such a space equipments lighting, ventilation temperature. Make sure that your policy clarifies what happens if any issues are raised, and who will be responsible for posting things, rights and within what time scales, as well as the consequences of failing to address any issues. In addition, you need to consider regulating rest breaks, overworking, dealing with stress, first aid arrangements and reports from work related accidents. Once the assessment is completed and short, the employees a work of their responsibility of maintaining is in the same way and sure that any health and safety equipment which may be necessary is supplied, For example, a fire extinguisher. And sure, they also deal with regular reviews and again consider what happens if any issues were raised. Who will be responsible for putting things right on within what time scales and again the consequences of failing to address any issues. Equipment. Almost every role will require some equipments, and he will need to be clear about what equipment the organization will provide on what the employees expected to provide. As an organization, you may wish to provide furniture, phone, phone lines, broadband, printer, fire extinguisher and paper. What about heat and lights? Who will pay for the installation costs such as, for example, a faster broadband? You'll also need to consider who will any equipment you supply belong to, who will be responsible for maintaining any equipment, who will be responsible, maintaining moving it and how and when this will be done. What support will be available for the employees? For example, I t supports this woman is setting up a suitable support system so that, for example, the employee knows who to contact if there's a problem. And those people, in turn, know what they need to do on the time skills for resolution, including home visits, etcetera. What equipment, if any, can be used for personal muscles by the homework or their family insurance. Check that the employee has home insurance, which covers working from home and clarify responsibility for any equipment supplied. Likewise, check for any insurances that the organization requires. For example, professional indemnity will still be valid under. Or take one of the steps you need in order to make sure that your insurance provider is properly informed that the relevant rests recovered expenses. Clarify whether the employees will benefit from any expenses, such as a contribution towards electricity. On the tax implications regarding this security on confidentiality, you'll need to clarify data protection and professional obligations and the security of both data and documents. This means carrying out a risk assessment and considering it's the employee's home. Secure. For example. What the arrangements for apartments off Watts, who else lives at the home and who might have access to the equipment under or documents under information. What needs to be put in place to ensure security and confidentiality? How are documents and data stored and transmitted, including considering any transportation of physical items to and from the office monitoring the employees. As with any role, you need to be clear how performance will be supervised, measured whilst ensuring this is consistent with what happens to workers who only work within the organisation's premises. This means agree in regular communication and generally updating and keeping in touch as well as considering the following expected performance, both employer and employee must be clear about what our ports or agreed work objectives are expected. Whether, for example, is hours worked were produced or a combination of both. You need also to be clear how the work will be recorded, appraisals and performance management, and, sure that home workers air considered indicated for in your systems and procedures, the employee is not in a diversity left out of training. The employee is not overlooked for promotion, and it's given the same opportunities as organization based employees. Your organization HR procedures such as discipline take into account home workers dealing with emergencies that homework it does not feel on supported or isolated. This means making sure that the homework it knows that they can and should contact the organization, but also ensuring that the team members know what is expected from them. They do not have you requested for help, is unwelcome or treated with surprise. Take us also recommend that you ensure home workers know that they have to make extra efforts, keep in touch with colleagues on their manager, make themselves available to the rest of the team and ensure they know how to contact them, that employees have somewhere to be when they're physically in the organization. For example, use of a hot desk to work from so that you can perform tasks but also still have a feeling of belonging overworking. It's also important for those who are managing home Workers are given some support, particularly as a cast suggest, in terms of being trained. So they're confident in supervising on assessing and employees performance from a distance formalizing home working Whilst we may know what should happen, it's also easy in a busy environment. Allow home working to take place that's having the relevant provisions in place as a CASS advise. Make sure that you put these essentials in place before the employee starts working from home trial. It is, of course, always a good ideas agree of trial, period, because it makes sense of both of you to see how the situation will suit you Policies and procedures. Working from home also means building up trust is more challenging, so having an organized system and policies which takes home working into account is essential. Written confirmation finally confirmed what you've agreed in writing, make any changes to the employment contract or draft a separate contract for home workers, including dealing with consents, any trial period, how and when the arrangement will be reviewed. Not now. Concludes this training session. Thank you for joining me.
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