May employment briefing - Working from Home

This months briefing covers -  Working from Home, a practice which is particularly prevalent in our sector. The main headings are:

1. Working from Home (permanent arrangement)

• Can we pay the employee an allowance to compensate for the space used and/or for use of extra heat/light?
• What reporting or monitoring arrangements need to be put in place?
• Are there issues if a councillor or member of the public visits the clerk in his/her home?
• What are the council’s obligations under Health and Safety legislation?
• How does the council ensure that its data is safe and can be recovered after the employment relationship ends?
• What if the council decides it wants the officer working from an office rather than from home?

2. Working from Home (voluntary or temporary arrangement)

• How does the council respond to a Flexible Working request relating to an Officer working from home on occasion or as a regular arrangement?
• How does the council respond to a Return to Work interview which recommends working from home instead of attending the council’s offices? .

The full briefing is in the BALC Documents section of the BALC website. The topic of Lone Working will be the subject of a future briefing.