MAKE YOUR FREE Temporary Working From Home Policy

Making your Temporary Working From Home Policy online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the information prepared in advance, creating your document is a quick and easy process. 

You’ll need the following information:

Working hours and holidays

• Are employees required to work their usual hours when working from home? 

  • If not, during which core hours should employees be working? For example, 11:00am to 2:00pm.

• Will the employer be able to tell employees to take specific days off as annual leave if, for example, the employer decides to close the business for a period of time? 

• Will the employer be able to cancel any annual leave that employees have booked during this time?

Other employment policies 

• Does the employer currently have a Health and safety policy, Communications and equipment policy, Data protection policy, and/or a Sickness policy in place?

• If employees are required to work regular hours when working from home, is there a Flexible working policy in place that employees can use when requesting flexible working arrangements?

Insurance and expenses

• Will the employer cover any additional telephone and broadband expenses that employees incur due to their working from home?

• Will the employer cover any other work-related expenses that employees incur due to their working from home?

  • If so, up to what limit?

• Will the employer cover any additional insurance premiums required by employees’ insurance cover (eg home and contents insurance) due to their working from home?

Temporary Working From Home Policies communicate information about guidelines and employer and employee responsibilities for temporary working from home arrangements. To do this, this Temporary Working From Home Policy template includes the following terms and sections:

Statement of purpose and policy

The Policy starts by clearly identifying the Policy’s purpose: communicating guidelines and information about working from home on a temporary basis as requested by the employer in reaction to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The employer’s right to change this Policy at any time is also set out (ie the Policy does not form part of any employee’s Employment contract).

Who does this Policy cover?

Here it’s noted that the Policy applies to all of the employer’s employees (ie those with employee status). This may include, for example, trainees, volunteers, casual staff and others.

Hours of work

This section sets out whether employees’ regular hours or work will apply when they’re working from home or whether they will not (ie so only specified core hours must be worked and employees can choose when they work the remainder of their hours). If employees are required to work regular hours, they will be informed that they can make Flexible working requests if they want to request other arrangements.

This section also reminds employees to take rest breaks when working from home and to contact their line managers to discuss any difficulties with working hours (eg fitting them around childcare commitments).

Communicating with your line manager

Next, the Policy asks that employees and line managers keep in regular contact in various ways (eg via calls and emails) and that any concerns about what to do when working from home or about feeling isolated or unsupported are communicated.

Equipment and materials

This section asks employees to tell their line managers if they are using any of their own equipment or materials and whether they need any additional equipment or materials in order to work from home. It notes that the employer will do their best to facilitate such requests, but does not oblige the employer to provide anything.

Guidelines for handling any equipment that is provided are also set out. For example, this equipment will remain the employer’s property and should be taken care of and only used for work-related purposes. If equipment is damaged beyond ordinary wear and tear, employees will be responsible for this damage. 

Expenses

Here the Policy sets out whether the employer covers any additional expenses incurred due to employees working from home or not. If the employer is covering expenses beyond reasonable telephone and internet charges, a limit on these additional expenses will be specified here. 

You can use an expense-policy to set out which expenses employees may and may not claim in more detail.

Tax

This section informs employees that they may be able to claim tax relief on their household expenses when these are incurred due to working from home. It provides a link to the Government’s guidance on this tax relief.

Security

This section outlines employees’ responsibilities for ensuring that information and equipment that they work with are kept secure while they’re working from home. This is done in part by reference to employment policies that the employer may have in place (eg a Data protection and data security policy).

Health and safety

Employees’ responsibilities to uphold their and others’ health and safety at work is set out here, including the requirement that employees follow health and safety instructions and, if one is in place, the employer’s Health and safety policy. Specific requirements relevant to home working are set out, for example, ensuring home workstations are safe and appropriate.

Sickness

Here employees are asked to follow the employer’s sickness-policy if they’re sick and unable to work. Employees are also asked to consider the Government’s guidance for people with symptoms of respiratory infections including Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Holiday      

This section explains that employees should continue to book and use their annual leave entitlements as usual when working from home. If the employer is allowed to require employees to take annual leave at certain times or to require them to cancel leave that they’ve booked during the temporary working from home period, this is set out here alongside the applicable notice periods for such instructions.

Employees’ right to carry over up to 4 weeks of their annual leave entitlement when it’s unable to be used due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) is also set out here. 

Insurance

Here employees are asked to check that their home and contents insurance cover is adequate considering that they are working from home. If the employer is covering any additional premiums required, this is set out here.

Termination of home working 

Lastly, the Policy explains that the working from home arrangements in place are temporary and that the employer will communicate when they are to end.

If you want your Temporary Working From Home Policy to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review the document for you (or to make the changes for you) to make sure that your modified Policy complies with all relevant laws. Use Rocket Lawyer’s Ask a lawyer service for assistance.

Always comply with health and safety laws

This Temporary Working From Home Policy sets out some basic provisions on health and safety for employees working from home. Health and safety is an important area of law and compliance with it is essential for helping employers to be conscientious. Compliance also reduces the risk of legal cases being brought against the employer for breaches of their health and safety duties. To help you meet your obligations as an employer, make sure that you’re fully aware of your health and safety obligations. Start by: 

• reading our guidance on Health and safety

• creating and following a clear Health and safety policy 

To make sure that you care for the health and safety of employees working from home, consider:

• reading our guidance on Health and safety responsibilities for staff working from home

• creating a Lone working policy, to set out how you handle the health and safety of employees working alone, including home workers

You should also be sure to regularly carry out risk assessments.  

Also ensure that employees are safe when they return to your workplace by considering any risks the return will carry. A Return to work risk assessment can help you to do this. 

Consider making long-term provisions for home working

Allowing working from home on a regular basis can be a useful strategy for employers. It can help employees to obtain a better work-life balance, increasing their happiness and productivity, and can make any jobs you’re advertising more appealing to a wider range of prospective candidates. To set out your long-term provisions for home working, you could make a Working from home policy.

Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer

In some circumstances, it’s good practice to Ask a lawyer for advice to ensure that you’re complying with the law and that you are well protected from risks. You should consider asking for advice if:

• this Policy doesn't meet your needs or doesn’t cover what you want

• your employees don't agree with the Temporary Working From Home Policy

• you’re not sure if working from home due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still appropriate for your workplace