Employees working from home

Introduction

Allowing employees to work from home on either a full- or part-time basis can bring a range of business benefits - from increased productivity and greater staff motivation to more effective use of your premises. It also widens the base from which you can recruit, boosting your chances of recruiting successfully.

The spread of teleworking - using the Internet, telephone, fax, scanners or text messaging for instance - is opening up a new range of possibilities for the way businesses can work and structure themselves. As well as opportunities, it also brings new responsibilities for the employer and employee. For example, flexible-working regulations mean you now have to seriously consider requests to working from home from employees with young or disabled children.

This guide will help you decide whether working from home is a possibility for your business and sets out the key issues you need to consider when introducing and managing the practice.