Employment Manual

Homeworking/
Tele-working
Policy
Policy and guide on Home-working and Tele-
working arrangements.

This document applies to all County Council employees, with

the following exceptions:
• posts where the duties and responsibilities are unsuitable
for flexible working patterns;
• Uniformed Fire Staff;
• the policy is advisory in schools where Governors/Heads
are responsible for working arrangements.
HOMEWORKING POLICY
CONTENTS TABLE
HOMEWORKING POLICY ......................................................................................... 2
OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 2
PRINCIPLES .............................................................................................................. 2
RESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................................... 2
DIRECTORS AND ASSISTANT DIRECTORS ........................................................... 2
EMPLOYEES ............................................................................................................. 3
COMMITTEE REFERENCE ....................................................................................... 3
HOMEWORKING/TELEWORKING - MANAGERS’ GUIDE ....................................... 3
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 3
HOMEWORKING CHECKLIST .................................................................................. 3
COMMUNICATION .................................................................................................... 4
APPLICATION OF HOMEWORKING TO POSTS...................................................... 4
DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING.............................................................................. 4
RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS ..................................................................................... 5
INSURANCE .............................................................................................................. 5
IT SECURITY ............................................................................................................. 5
HOUSEKEEPING....................................................................................................... 5
HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS ................................................................ 5
TERMS AND CONDITIONS ....................................................................................... 5
FURTHER INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 6
ADVICE AND SUPPORT ........................................................................................... 6

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this policy is to:
• provide effective and flexible working arrangements;
• reduce travel and accommodation costs;
• help the County Council to meet the objectives of its policy on flexible working;
• assist with the recruitment and retention of employees;
• provide opportunities for those who are unable to go to a workplace.

PRINCIPLES
Approval of formal homeworking (also known as teleworking) for specified posts must
be within the provisions of this scheme. However occasional Informal arrangements
may be made between manager and employee.

Provisions are set out in Homeworking – Employee Guide.

Telephone and office allowances may be attached to posts where formal

homeworking is approved. Consideration may be given to advertising some vacant
posts without the allowances attached.

RESPONSIBILITIES
DIRECTORS AND ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
Effective implementation of homeworking arrangements within their services.

Monitoring arrangements.
Ensuring that there are mechanisms in place for effective supervision and
communication.

Meeting health, safety and welfare requirements.

Ensuring that the appropriate allowances are paid.

Ensuring that confidentiality and security of information is maintained within the

homeworking environment.

EMPLOYEES
Working within agreed "housekeeping rules".

Abiding by the County Council's Health and Safety Policy.

COMMITTEE REFERENCE
Personnel Sub-Committee, 2 June 1995.

HOMEWORKING/TELEWORKING - MANAGERS’ GUIDE

INTRODUCTION
Homeworking is a type of flexible working where an employee’s place of work is in
the home. Arrangements may be formal or informal. Informal arrangements should
be short term only, e.g. to enable an employee to work undisturbed at home on a
particular project, or to cater for the short term personal needs of an employee. The
guidance below refers to formal arrangements, however it may be a helpful reference
point for informal arrangements.

Homeworking could involve working part of the week at home and part in the office.
Work may also be carried out in satellite offices or work centres. There may be a
range of jobs that are suited to homeworking. It is most widely used where a job can
be done with a personal computer, fax machine, modem and telephone.

There are a number of job characteristics that can be identified as being suitable for
homeworking. These include:
• self contained duties;
• a high level of handling, processing or creation of information;
• a need for few physical requirements such as use of bulky equipment or manual
handling duties;
• easily defined output and work deadlines;
• the ability to conduct most communication over the telecommunications network;
• duties where significant time is spent travelling to different locations.

HOMEWORKING CHECKLIST
How will the introduction of homeworking will be communicated?

Will there be implications for the new arrangements if other employees make a
similar request?

How will it impinge on overall work operations?

Will there be an impact on the team dynamic?

Could it help to promote equal opportunities within the County Council?

What impact would changes have on the work of other employees?

Would existing employees want to take advantage of homeworking?

What would the implications for management and supervision be?

COMMUNICATION
A communication programme should be formally agreed at the outset. For example
this will prevent issues arising where homeworkers are working outside their
contracted hours or, alternatively, do not have enough work to do. Issues to consider
are:

What system of communication is required?

How will supervision take place?

How will the personal and welfare needs of employees be managed?

What measures are needed to reduce isolation and to ensure that the employee is
treated as part of a team?

How will career and training opportunities be communicated?

APPLICATION OF HOMEWORKING TO POSTS

Where an employee is in post the formal application of homeworking to that post will,
where possible, be on a jointly agreed basis.

Homeworking would normally be considered for suitable posts either on

establishment or before a vacancy is filled. The advertisement should make clear
that the post is home based, and the recruitment process should take account of the
skills required for this type of work.

If homeworking is being considered for existing employees (not at their request) it is

advisable that early consultation takes place with the employees concerned. Any
arrangements should bear in mind that not all individuals will be suited to working
alone. Also not all employees will have a home suited to homeworking.

Employees may make a request to work from home on a formal basis. This may be
because of personal circumstances, such as family needs or disability. Agreement to
this should take account of the employee’s needs and operational costs against
potential benefits. Where the employee has a disability, the County Council’s advice
on Disability Equality in Employment should be followed. Where family needs issues
are involved, the County Council’s Family Needs Policy applies.

DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Arrangements should be made for the development and training of homeworkers, as
for other employees. Consideration should include:
• whether there is a need for regular updating;
• whether the training should be home based, for example distance learning;
• what arrangements will be made to meet the requirements for appraisal and
development.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
Additional equipment and services may be required, e.g. computer terminals, e-mail,
answerphones/voicemail or pagers. There may also be additional costs to maintain
regular communication with employees.

There are potential savings, for example through reduced accommodation and travel
costs.

INSURANCE
Advice on insurance cover needs to be considered carefully to reflect the specific
circumstances of homeworkers. This will include the need for employees to contact
their household and/or motor insurers. Advice should be sought from the Insurance
Section in Director of Resources Office Insurance and Risk Management Section.

IT SECURITY
Where IT equipment is also used at home, the County Council’s IT security policy
and procedures must be followed. Before homeworking is introduced, advice on
security must be sought from the County Council’s Data Protection Officer.

HOUSEKEEPING
A set of “housekeeping rules” should be drawn up and agreed to. These should
include items such as:
• back-up of computer data;
• secure systems of work;
• secure storage of equipment, documentation etc;
• visitor access restrictions;
• use of ‘office’ equipment for personal tasks;
• moving equipment;
• health and safety arrangements, including accident reporting;
• sickness absence reporting;
• booking leave.

HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Employees should be made aware of arrangements to protect their health and safety,
including personal security. These are set out in document G30 and in Homeworking
and Teleworking Employee Leaflet.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Homeworkers are employees of the County Council with the same contractual rights
as other employees. They have the same terms and conditions except where
specifically varied, e.g. in relation to place of work. Their contract of employment
must include additional clauses covering place of work, hours, travelling expenses
and confidentiality.

An office allowance and a telephone allowance may be payable for a homeworker,

although there is no automatic entitlement. Consideration may be given to
advertising posts with the employee provides their own telephone, with
reimbursement of the cost of business calls only. Where an office allowance
payment is not made an employee may qualify for tax relief. In these circumstances,
care should be taken to ensure that the individual remains classed as an employee of
the County Council.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Flexible Working Policy
Homeworking - Employee Leaflet
Telephone and Office Allowances
G30 Homeworking – Health and Safety Guidance
POEL24 Mobile Phones Health and Safety Advice

ADVICE AND SUPPORT

Please contact Human Resources.

Updated January 2008