Homeworking policy

Homeworking is a policy because the conditions are the same for everyone who does it: a workstation the employer has assessed, equipment the employer provides, hours and availability that are stated, data that is kept secure in a house the employer cannot see, and the practical conditions (insurance, tenancy, a suitable space) that the employee has to meet. The policy sets them once, so that each homeworking arrangement, whether permanent, hybrid or occasional, operates on the same terms. I draft the policy for the employer as part of the handbook and core policies for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Employers in England and Wales with staff who work from home some or all of the time, whether under a formal hybrid arrangement, by individual agreement or occasionally.

What matters in a homeworking policy

Who may work from home and how it is agreed

The policy should state which roles are eligible for homeworking and which are not (customer-facing, site-based, roles needing equipment or supervision), the types of arrangement (permanent, hybrid under a set pattern, occasional by agreement with the manager), how an arrangement is requested and approved (including the statutory flexible working request under section 80F of the Employment Rights Act 1996, which the employer must handle under that procedure), whether the arrangement is a contractual change or a policy the employer may vary, and the trial and review periods; a policy that leaves eligibility to each manager produces inconsistency and discrimination claims.

The workstation, the assessment and the employer's safety duties

The employer's duties under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 apply at home, and the policy should require the employee to complete the employer's homeworking risk assessment before the arrangement starts and when it changes, to work from a suitable workstation (a desk, a chair, screen height, lighting), to take breaks, to report hazards and accidents, and to allow the employer to inspect the workspace by arrangement where it reasonably needs to; the assessment is what the regulations require and the policy is where it is made a condition.

Equipment, costs and the tax-free allowance

The policy should state what the employer provides (a laptop, a screen, a keyboard, a chair where the assessment identifies the need), that equipment remains the employer's and is returned on request or on leaving, the employee's obligations for its care and security, what the employee provides (broadband, a workspace), and the costs the employer meets: a homeworking payment within the exempt amount under section 316A of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 where the employee works at home under an arrangement, or reimbursement of specific costs, with the accountants confirming the treatment; the policy should say what the employer does not pay for (the employee's own furniture, utilities beyond the allowance).

Hours, availability and keeping in touch

The policy should state the hours and core hours that apply at home, the expectation of availability and responsiveness, the working time records and rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998, the arrangements for team contact (meetings, check-ins, the days in the office under a hybrid pattern), the reporting of sickness and the taking of holiday as for office-based staff, and the manager's responsibility to keep in touch with homeworkers; the policy should also address the right to require attendance at the premises on reasonable notice, which the contract should support.

Data, security and confidentiality at home

The policy should set the information security rules for working at home (the employer's devices only unless the bring your own device policy applies, secure connections, locked screens, no printing of confidential documents without approval, secure disposal, no family use of work devices, calls taken where they cannot be overheard), the handling of personal data under the UK GDPR with the employer's data protection policy applying at home, the reporting of lost devices and breaches, and the monitoring the employer operates with its privacy notice; the home is where confidential information is overheard and devices are left on trains, and the policy should say what the employee must do.

Insurance, tenancy and the practical conditions

The policy should require the employee to confirm that their home insurance, mortgage or tenancy and any planning conditions permit working from home (which for most employees doing office work they do, but the employee should check), that the employer's insurance covers its equipment but not the employee's home, that the employee is responsible for a suitable and safe working environment, that dependants and others are not cared for during working hours in a way that prevents work, and that the employee will not work from an address other than the agreed one (including abroad) without consent; the conditions are practical, and the policy makes them explicit so that nobody assumes.

What it costs

Staff handbook and core policies, £995. Five working days.

Employment contract, £595. One template you can reuse for a grade of staff. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the employment contracts and handbooks page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A bespoke contract drafted for how you employ people
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Confidentiality and intellectual property provisions that put ownership where it belongs
• The statutory particulars, so the document does the job section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires it to do
• Flexibility clauses where you genuinely need them, drafted to survive challenge
• Core policies: disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, equal opportunities, data protection and, increasingly, AI use
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Acting for employees
• Employment tribunal representation
• Payroll, pensions auto-enrolment and tax
• Immigration and sponsor licence work
• Day to day HR handling, disciplinaries, grievances and redundancy processes

Questions I am often asked

Do we have to provide a desk and chair for staff working from home?

What the homeworking assessment identifies: a screen, a keyboard and a suitable chair are commonly provided; a desk less often. The policy says what the employer provides and what the employee is responsible for.

Can we pay a tax-free homeworking allowance?

Within the exempt amount, where the employee works at home under an arrangement with the employer, yes. The accountants confirm the treatment and the policy states the payment.

Can an employee work from a relative's house or from abroad?

Only with consent under the policy. The agreed address is the place of work for the assessment, the insurance and the data rules, and working abroad raises tax, employment law and immigration issues the employer must consider first.

Related guidance and services

• Employment contracts and handbooks, £995, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Employment contract for a remote worker
• Flexible working policy

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.