Flexible working: homeworking

Homeworking, whether on a full-time or part-time basis, is one of the most popular types of flexible working among employees. It is particularly useful for tasks such as planning, report-writing, preparing for meetings, research and data entry. There are many advantages in working from home:

• reduced sickness leave
• better staff retention
• elimination of unnecessary meetings
• reduction in the number of car parking spaces required.
  

But disadvantages include:

• upfront costs of setting someone up at home
• potential IT problems
• isolation and communication difficulties.

Experts say it is important to get everyone on board, from board members down, when implementing homeworking policies. It is also important to identify both the kind of staff, and the kind of work, that will respond well to homeworking – for instance, does the employee need regular face-to-face meetings with staff? Are they disciplined and self-motivated?

Implementation involves careful planning:

• both employee and employer must have clear objectives laid down before homeworking begins
• agreements need to be made on how to handle enquiries if a colleague is working from home, when and how to contact them, etc.
• health and safety checks need to be done on the employee’s work station at home
• IT for remote working needs to be installed
• to counter isolation, employees need to be kept in regular contact with the office, including having regular meetings with colleagues.

It is good idea to pilot a homeworking scheme before it is fully implemented, and to include regular monitoring and evaluation, eg through staff surveys on job satisfaction and an assessment of work produced. For employees, it is recommended that barriers are set up between work and home life, such as having a separate office for work, to ensure they do not overwork.

See FEO (undated) Homeworking: a guide to good practice, Flexible Employment Options/HEFCE.