The number of regulations which apply to the employment sector is large and shows no signs of abating. There appears to have been a never-ending flow of new laws, guidelines and directives which cover wages, working conditions, discrimination and diversity, to list just a few. This has generated not only a great burden of administration on businesses but also the threat that they may not be aware of one or more of the new regulations and find themselves being taken to court or an industrial tribunal. The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) stated in a recent publication, “The relentless flow of complex employment law is stifling UK competitiveness and risks future job creation”. The BCC has worked out that the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002 has cost the United Kingdom’s businesses over £1.5bn since its introduction. When one adds the identical scenario which is occurring as a result of new financial regulations and the increasingly complex nature of our tax system it is apparent that directors of businesses must be very watchful to ensure that they are operating within the law.

One of the fields within the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002 relates to having workers Work From Home. This would allow|would permit|would enable[/spin] employers to hold on to skilled workers who may otherwise be obliged stop working if their domestic circumstances change. It can also allow businesses to acquire good quality workers who may not otherwise be approached without the availability of flexible working. It should be declared at this point that the crucial aspect to consider when providing workers the opportunity to Work From Home is the suitability of their particular job role. When one considers that barely 3 per cent of theUK’s workforce currently Work From Home on a permanent basis it puts the concept into some sort of perspective. Furthermore, this figure has not altered since 2002 despite the launch of the modern Internet Business where most of the workers would describe their jobs as Online Jobs due to their use of state of the art communication technology. An additional 18% of workers work at home on an occasional basis but one third of these do so less than once a month so it can be deduced that it is done on an ad hoc rather than a structured basis.

If relevant job roles are available and there are workers who have to Work From Home then the practicalities must be given some thought. The purpose of this exercise must be not to compromise on the quality of work that would be achieved from an office base. For that reason, the tools required to perform the work must be made available at home. This may include some or all of the everyday office equipment such as a desk, chair, filing cabinet, computer, printer, fax and stationery. Communication technology will allow the workers to remain in contact with management, clients and colleagues and this will be critical to the success or otherwise of enabling the worker to Work From Home. An internet connection will be vital, preferably broadband if modern features such as video-conferencing are to be utilised. For more traditional communication a dedicated telephone line or mobile phone will be enough. As the amount of equipment expands it becomes clear that another important factor in the process is the availability of sufficient space in the worker’s home to enable them to create an office.

To sum up, the issues involved in having workers Work From Home can make this part of the flexible working concept very demanding to implement unless you happen to be an Internet Business built around Online Jobs. How keen a business is to introduce it, especially with the prospect of increased costs, could well depend on the value to the firm of the employee who needs to work from home.

1. What Might Be The Drawbacks To Enabling Employees To Switch To Flexible Working And Work From Home? Companies have been faced with an increasing number of directives from successive Governments in recent...
2. Will The Range Of Equipment And Types Of Communication Technology In Use Today To Permit Staff To Work From Home Signal The Death Of The Office As A Workplace? The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics which tell us the approximate number of people...
3. As Flexible Working Steadily Increases In Popularity Let The Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002 introduced details of the ways in which firms...