The trend towards working from home has increased along with the advancements in technology that make this option possible. This can many times be a better situation for both employees and their employers. Allowing employees to work from home can save companies money in energy costs and leasing office space and working from home offers a lot of flexibility to employees.
Workers in the UK have a right to make a request to work from home or to have flexible work schedules. This allows workers with families, especially those with young children, to make time for their activities, or take them to and from school. It’s not just parents who can benefit from flexible working. Flexible start and finish times provide options for juggling work life and personal commitments. The flexible working law gives all employees the right to request to work from home so long as they can come to terms with their employer.
To make a request, workers are required to have been employed by the company for a minimum of 26 weeks. Employers are required to deal with such requests in a timely manner. Of course, employers are not bound to honor a specific request. They are simply required to consider it and render a decision. The employer may deny the request if they feel it is not in their best interest and the worker can make an appeal to an employment tribunal.
The flexible working law can include several types. Job sharing allows for two people to perform a single job while splitting the hours. Working part-time hours is an option as is working compressed hours, which means working longer hours over fewer days. Flexitime allows for employees to choose their starting and ending times, although these times need to be agreed upon by employers. Annualised hours allow employees to work a certain amount of hours over the course of a year with flexibility about when those hours are. Staggered hours may see an employee work at different times than their coworkers. Phased retirement allows employees to choose the age at which they will retire. A reduction in hours is also an option for these employees.
In order to take advantage of this law, an employee must make a statutory application where he or she puts their request in writing after which the employer has three months to make a decision. Upon agreement, the necessary changes are made to the employee contract. If the employer declines, they must state their reasons in writing and the employee can then make a complaint to an employment tribunal.
Working from home can be accomplished with a remote desktop, a VPN or virtual private network and software such as Teamviewer or LogMeIn. These SaaS (Software as a Service) companies use cloud storage to allow people to work remotely while staying connected.
If your request to work remotely has been granted by your employer, you’ll need to make sure your home office is suitably equipped. You’ll need a reliable network connection and proper IT support. AGT Computers can help set your home office up in Preston, Lytham or Blackpool. Call us today.
