Guidance on working from home

The number of employees working from home — in office-type jobs or roles involving travel where home is used as a base — is steadily increasing.

The Acas employment relations service has produced a guide to help both employers and employees deal with the implications of working from home.

Homeworking can present challenges to both employers and employees. For employers, this can include managing staff who work on their own and away from the main business base. For employees, it can include overcoming feelings of isolation and managing the boundaries between home and work life.

The key points raised by Acas include:

• there are different degrees of homeworking or tele-commuting — some people work almost entirely at home while others work from home only occasionally;

• employers must consider if the job and job holder are suitable for homeworking; 

• many homeworkers say they have a better work-life balance; and

• homeworking or tele-working may be considered as a reasonable adjustment to allow a disabled worker to carry on with their role.

www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/o/3/Homeworking-a-guide-for-employers-and-employees.pdf