What are working from home and teleworking?

When BT offered its workers the chance to do at least some of their work from home not long ago, 3,500 thousand people volunteered within a month. Other companies have experienced similar levels of interest including local councils such as Oxfordshire and banks such as NatWest.

But there can be drawbacks to teleworking:

Potential problems for employers

• Monitoring work flow
• Assessing progress of individuals within the company
• Cost of providing and maintaining the equipment the employee needs at home

Potential problems for employees

• Creating a suitable, distraction-free space at home
• Loss of camaraderie and stimulation of contact with other workers
• Learning how to manage time effectively by saying ‘No’ to interruptions

Potential pitfalls can be avoided if employers and employees carefully consider what they want from a teleworking arrangement and how to set it up effectively. For example, many people spend one or more days in the office in the course of a working week. This gives both sides the opportunity to communicate, evaluate progress and spend some time socialising and developing working relationships.

A number of trade unions have negotiated working from home schemes with employers and have produced useful guidelines for their members. If you are a member it might be worth contacting your union because they will be able to advise you on complicated matters, such as health and safety. This is a complicated issue. If you are working from home as an employee, for example, then your company has to make sure that your home meets health and safety rules. This is not just a question of checking electricity supplies, it means making sure that desks and chairs are ergonomically efficient as well.