Employees working from home

Employment contracts and working from or at home

An employee's place of work is stated in the written statement of their terms and conditions of employment. So when an employee starts working from or at home, it may be necessary to amend the written statement as a result. 

You must follow set procedures when changing an employment contract. See our guide on how to change an employee's terms of employment.

There are a range of other contractual aspects you may want to introduce or amend if you're considering implementing homeworking in your business. For example:

• stated hours of work may need to be redefined
• you may wish to specify core times when your employee undertakes to work or be contactable
• extra duties or responsibilities may need to be assigned in addition to those already agreed
• the contract may state that the business will supply and insure any equipment necessary, but but that it not be used for personal purposes
• procedures may need to be put in place, if the employee wishes to end the homeworking arrangement

You might find it helpful to read our guide on the employment contract.

You can also download information on employment conditions for teleworkers from the DTI website (PDF).

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Advantages and disadvantages of employees working at home
• Types of work and skills suited to home working
• Employment contracts and working from or at home
• Kitting out people who work at home
• Manage employees who work from home
• Your health and safety obligations towards homeworkers
• How technology can facilitate working from home
• Responsibilities of homeworkers
• Here's how I manage the performance of my homeworkers and keep them motivate