Working from home, also known as home based work, teleworking or telecommuting, is becoming an increasingly popular work option in Australia.
Working from home involves you, as an employee, working away from the main work site on a part time, full time, temporary or permanent basis. Many employers allow employees to work from home for some of the time, depending on the nature of the work.
Many self employed people also work from home, as do contract and freelance employees.
This guide provides information on how you can work from home and the things you need to consider before working from home.
Who can work from home?
It is up to your employer to decide whether working from home is an option in any given situation. Some types of work are not appropriate for a working from home arrangement, and some employers may not feel comfortable with the lack of supervision in a working from home arrangement.
You can ask your employer about the possibility of working from home if the requirements of your job are suitable. If you have just started a new job, then your employer may request that you complete a ‘qualifying period’ at the workplace before commencing a work from home arrangement. This allows your employer to develop trust, and ensures that all tasks are being completed correctly.
Benefits of working from home
Working from home can have many benefits for both you and your employer, including:
- your ability to work around family commitments and other individual requirements due to the flexible working hours involved in working from home
- your ability to schedule your work hours according to a particular time of day when you work better
- the elimination of travel resulting in reduced time and money spent on commuting
- an ability to avoid transport issues for employees with a mobility impairment
- higher levels of productivity as there may be fewer interruptions and distractions at home
- reduced costs for your employer as they save on office space and associated costs
- the accessibility of home environments (e.g. modified furniture, special equipment or software) may mean that employers can save on workplace modifications.
Safety issues
The employment conditions for home-based employees are the same as those that exist in the workplace. This includes meeting obligations related to occupational health and safety and workers compensation. For more information, visit:
The home based work site is an extension of the workplace, so when you are looking at working from home you need to consider basic safety issues such as:
- ensuring that there is enough light in the work site
- having adequate ventilation
- working in an area that is not too noisy.
Your employer may want to conduct an occupational health and safety checklist before you begin working from home, as they will be responsible for any injuries that may occur while you work from home.
Our interactive safety checklist can help you assess your performance or readiness to work safely at home:
Implementing work from home arrangements
Careful planning and consultation is needed to maximise the benefits of home based work for you and your employer and to avoid any difficulties with home based work. Any concerns or issues with working from home should be addressed before starting the arrangement.
It may be beneficial to draft a mutual agreement with your employer. This agreement could cover all aspects of the working from home arrangement including conditions of work and the responsibilities of you and your employer. The specific details that you could discuss and address in the agreement include:
- the purchase and installation of any equipment, such as a computer, printer, furniture, fax or Internet connection
- communication procedures—how and when you must ‘check in’ to the workplace, e.g. phone, email, instant messaging
- the development of support systems such as regular team meetings, discussions with a supervisor to monitor any issues and improve arrangements
- the reimbursement of work related expenses such as electricity and phone
- occupational health and safety and workers compensation—it may be necessary to conduct an safety check or workplace assessment to identify any potential problems before starting the arrangement
- if or when you will be required to attend the work site
- access to training and development opportunities
- terms and conditions of employment including pay and leave entitlements
- how you will deal with clients if this is required as part of your job
- security of work related equipment and materials
- evaluation and review of the arrangement
- conditions and procedures for ending or renegotiating the agreement.
Addressing these issues will ensure your working from home arrangement benefits both you and your employer.
Communication
Open communication is essential for any home based work programme and you and your employer need to clearly understand any expectations and required outcomes or outputs before you start to work from home. It is important for you and your employer to meet on a regular basis to discuss and evaluate the progress of the arrangement as well as share any general information.
You should schedule to meet with your employer on days when you need to attend the main work site—this will also assist you with keeping in touch with any changes or developments in the workplace.
Daily routine
Working from home requires a lot of discipline and it may be helpful to develop a routine. Get up, shower, have breakfast and ‘go to work’, just as you would to your workplace.
It is important to separate home and work, so you may need to shut your door and tell anyone else at home that you are not available.