Having staff who work from home can work well for both employee and employer, whether it’s occasional or otherwise, but here are some of the issues you will need to consider:

(1) Job suitability

Are the tasks that you expect to be done suitable for completion at home, taking into account:

• Equipment – is providing the relevant equipment viable, particularly since you will be responsible for maintenance etc of anything you supply.
• Confidentiality – particularly where paper documents are concerned.
• Team work – do the tasks require interaction?

(2) Is the environment suitable?

(a) Health and safety

Employers still have a duty of care for any employee who works from home and relevant health and safety legislation still applies. You will need to carry out a risk assessment to ensure that the proposed workplace is suitable (consider factors such as space, equipment, lighting, ventilation, temperature). Once that assessment is completed, ensure that the employee is aware of their own responsibility to maintain it in the same way.

Ensure that you supply any health and safety equipment which may be necessary, for example, a fire extinguisher.

(b) Permission

Ensure that the employee can work from home – for example, they may require written permission from a mortgagee or landlord.

(c) Insurance

Check that the employee has relevant home insurance cover and clarify responsibility for any equipment supplied.

(d) Expenses

Determine whether the employee will be paid any additional expenses (such as contribution towards electricity) and clarify any tax implications.

(3) Has the employee considered all the implications?

Ensure that both you and the employee consider issues such as:

• Isolation – will the employee feel lonely?
• Supervision – is the employee suited to working with minimal supervision?
• Self-discipline and motivation.
• Can clearly define home and work life.

(4) Working pattern

Is home working to fit in with a more flexible way of working or do you expect the employee to be available during practice hours? For some practices agreeing say 3 “core” hours a day and allowing the remainder of hours to be worked flexibly often works well.

(5) Managing the employee

Be clear about how respective duties and responsibilities, including how performance will be supervised and measured, whilst ensuring that this is consistent with other workers and agree methods and timing of communication. You will also have to ensure the employee is not inadvertently left out of training and is not overlooked for promotion.

(6) Confirm things in writing

Working from home also means building up trust is more challenging so having an organised system and policies which take home working into account is essential.

Finally, confirm what you have agreed with the employee in writing, making relevant changes to the employment contract, including

• Any trial period agreed
• How and when the arrangement will be reviewed