WORK LIFE BALANCE: HOME-WORKING POLICY. 1. Introduction

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1 WORK LIFE BALANCE: HOME-WORKING POLICY 1. Introduction 1.1 The purpose of this paper is to define the University s Policy towards Home Working, which forms part of the University s commitment to promoting a range of Work Life Balance initiatives. Life Balance initiatives. 2. Background 2.1 The normal and appropriate place of work for most employees of the University is the precincts of the University or other place designated by University managers (which from time to time might change). However, the University recognises that Home Working can be an alternative and effective form of working on a number of levels: as an occasional option to enable staff to meet professional or personal needs as a temporary and time-limited arrangement to meet the specific needs of the University or the individual member of staff on a permanent and planned basis for some roles within the University, to the benefit of both the University and the individual. 2.2 All Home Working arrangements must be agreed in advance between the Head of Department/Section and the member of staff with appropriate arrangements put in place to protect both parties and support the agreed working arrangements. 3. Policy 3.1 The University s policy is to encourage managers to give serious consideration to the option of Home Working when seeking solutions to management and individual problems and to make a sensible and realistic appraisal of any request to undertake a period of working from home or to permanently work from home. 3.2 The University supports the procedure for the implementation of Home Working and has endorsed the Home Working Best Practice Guide. Managers are encouraged to implement this policy consistently and with due regard to principles contained within the University s general commitment to developing better Work Life Balance. 4. Guiding Principles 4.1 University s main functions are to provide learning and teaching support and services to its students, research partnerships with the community and other bodies and provide high quality general services to staff, students and other partners. Any consideration of changes to working patterns by staff must be 1

2 viewed in relation to the impact such a change would have on the service to students, colleagues and the community at large. 4.2 Any agreement to authorise Home Working must be documented, reviewed at regular intervals and in most cases will be time limited from the outset. 4.3 The University must be reassured that the member of staff working from home will be safe in the context of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and subsequent guidance issued via the Health and Safety Executive with regard to home working risk assessment and best practice. 4.4 The University must consider whether any additional expense incurred as a result of the arrangement is justifiable, and should be balanced against other potential savings, eg car parking space, office space, continued progress of work which might have to stop if the member of staff were unable to attend the University. 4.5 For most staff involved in Home Working, they will remain employees of the University with a designated normal place of work other than their home. However, there may be cases where the University takes the decision to employ staff to work from home as their normal place of work. 4.6 Outputs from Home Working must be monitored and accounted for. 4.7 Arrangements for Home Working should include provision for the staff working from home to attend the necessary meetings, staff development activities and to be appraised 5. Recommendation 5.1 Subject to adoption of the principles expressed in this policy proposal, a procedure for the application of this policy be adopted. 5.2 Subject to adoption of the principles expressed in this policy proposal and the development of a procedure to govern the details a code of best operational practice be adopted. 2

3 PROCEDURE 1. Types of Home Working 1.1 There are three levels or categories of Home Working: An occasional option to enable staff to meet intermittent professional or personal needs A temporary and time limited arrangement to meet the specific needs of the University or a member of staff. A permanent and planned arrangement for some roles within the University, to the benefit of both the University and individual. This will involve a change to cover part or the whole of the working week. 2. Employment Status of Person Engaged in Home Working 2.1 In all cases, the person working from home is entitled to the full benefits and obligations of all employees of the University. They enjoy the full benefits of employment and carry the same obligations as all other employees. 3. Initiating Home Working Arrangements 3.1 A proposal for Home Working may be initiated by management for operational reasons or a request for Home Working may come from the member of staff.. However the opportunity to work from home requires the agreement of both the individual and the line manager. 4. Working from Home on an Occasional Basis 4.1 If an employee works predominantly from the University but requests to work from home occasionally - for example to finish a piece of work or to mark papers, then the University would not be required to provide any ICT equipment or additional financial support. The use of a shared departmental laptop may be appropriate. The availability of specialised equipment may be limited, and Departments should check requirements of licences for home use. 4.2 Before working at home staff must carry out their risk assessments, and guidance is provided below. 5. Working from Home on a Temporary Agreed Basis 5.1 If it is agreed that an employee will work partly from home but also requires an office with IT equipment, the University will not be responsible for providing or maintaining the equipment used at home. It may be possible for the employee to be provided with a University laptop computer which can be used wherever the employee is working. 3

4 5.2 Before working at home staff must carry out a risk assessments. See below for guidance 6. Staff Contractually Employed to Work from Home 6.1 Staff may be contracted to work at home, or they may transfer once already employed by the University, by mutual agreement. Such employees will be expected to attend the University for induction and other relevant training, agreed team meetings and other meetings as required, e.g. appraisal If it is agreed that an employee can work fully from home they will not be allocated University office space. In this circumstance the University would agree the provision of the IT equipment required to carry out the role and would ensure that this equipment was maintained (see below) If space on campus is required this should be arranged on an ad hoc basis The employee should keep in regular contact with his or her line manager and will come to the University to attend meetings as required. The University management will be able to contact staff working from home during designated, agreed or standard working hours without needing to make special arrangements. The individual will be responsible for meeting the travel costs incurred between home and the University Full Health and Safety Risk Assessments must be undertaken (see below). 7. Health and Safety 7.1 The University s Management of Home Working, Health and Safety Performance Standard defines the responsibilities for health and safety for staff working at home (see These standards must be adhered to, as must the Health and Safety Executive Guidance, see 8. Risk Assessment 8.1 Managers of staff in any of these categories who work at home must be satisfied that a proper risk assessment is carried out. This may be done by the member of staff themselves, but the line manager must monitor and decide if in particular circumstances a more detailed assessment is required, which may involve visiting the home. 8.2 There are 5 steps to ensuring that a proper risk assessment is done: Identify any hazards Decide who might be harmed and how Assess the risks and take appropriate action to remove them or reduce them as far as possible Record the findings and lodge a copy with the University Check the risks from time to time and take further steps if needed. 4

5 8.3 Accidents in the home related to the employee s work should be reported on an accident report form in the usual way. 8.4 Work related ill health should be reported in the usual way through the Line Manager or advised through Occupational Health. 9. Insurance 9.1 The University's insurers cover Home Workers if the risk assessment is well documented. Staff are covered under both the University's Employers' liability (injury to the employee) and the Public Liability (injury/damage done by the employee during work activity). However, cover does not extend to business meetings held in the home 9.2 It is essential that employees contact their own home insurers to make the company aware that they are working from home. This may have an impact on the home insurance. 9.3 It is the individual s responsibility to arrange appropriate personal home insurance cover, including cover for their own equipment if being used for work purposes, and to check that their home insurance policy includes public liability insurance and covers university owned equipment located in the home. 10. Procedure 10.1 For staff wishing to use Home Working as an occasional option referred to in informal agreement with the Line Manager is sufficient For staff wishing a to initiate a temporary arrangement, described in or move permanently described in to Home Working, the procedure to be followed is defined below Staff wishing to apply for flexible working should in the first instance think through the impact this will have on their own performance and that of their team, and prepare a case in writing to put to their Manager which explains how these changes can be accommodated The employee, having considered the guidance in the Best Practice paper, should make a request in writing to the Line Manager. The Line Manager, having considered this in line with the Best Practice paper, will respond within 28 days and arrange to meet with the employee to discuss the request. A decision will then be given to the member of staff within 14 days, giving reasons and next steps If the Manager agrees to the request, s/he must contact the Director of Human Resources and Health and Safety Adviser and comply with the Health and Safety standards before the decision is final. 5

6 If the Manager cannot agree to the request, the employee may appeal in writing within 14 days and this will be considered by the Director of Human Resources, who will make the decision in consultation with the manager in line with the Best Practice paper, and the legislation currently in force Where managers wish to initiate a plan to introduce Home Working, they will first identify the need and the rationale for any change in working arrangements, in line with the Best Practice paper Managers should discuss the suggestion with the colleague/colleagues and agree terms and arrangements with the colleagues concerned If colleagues cannot agree to the request, the manager may appeal in writing within 14 days. This will be considered by the Director of Human Resources, who will make the decision in consultation with the manager and the member of staff in line with the Best Practice Paper, and the legislation currently in force A review of the changed work pattern should be undertaken six months after the commencement If the Home Working arrangement appears to be failing, the Manager should: establish the facts and identify why it is failing notify the parties establish whether there are remedies to overcome the difficulties, but if this is not possible a notice of change and withdrawal of the arrangement should be agreed, but where it cannot be agreed the original contractual arrangements will be re-introduced following a period of notice consistent with the employee s contractual terms. 6

7 GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE Work is something you do, not somewhere you go. 1. Introduction 1.1 The University recognises that Home Working is already practised by some staff on an informal basis and Heads of Department and Sections and members of staff should ensure that existing and new arrangements are compatible with University policy and guidance and are mutually beneficial. 1.2 The type of work suitable for Home Working has clearly defined objectives, requiring little or no interaction with others and where the physical location is incidental. Examples of tasks which may be carried out from home (this list is not exhaustive) include (non-laboratory-based) research, Call Centre information services outside of normal office hours, staff working with distributed partners, marking and assessment, report writing, translation, datainputting. 2. Benefits to the University may include: less distractions leading to achievement of deadlines space saving, as office space may be shared increased staff flexibility and productivity reduction in the demand on car parking facilities. 3. Benefits to the Employee may include: reduction in travel time and costs less distractions, allowing tasks to be completed more efficiently and more quickly greater flexibility to work at times to suit the employee s other commitments (eg. childcare). 4. Some Disadvantages There are, however, some drawbacks for all parties, which managers and staff need to be aware of: less contact with colleagues some staff may be temperamentally unsuited to working in isolation effects on team or project group output and cohesion no clear divide between work and leisure difficulties in monitoring work outputs and communications difficulties in co-ordinating tasks and projects. 7

8 5. Management Arrangements 5.1 Managers should adopt a positive approach to any request for Home Working. However, they should take into consideration the following operational issues: additional costs to the service the effect on service delivery the effect on quality and/or performance the effect on the team as a whole and whether working can be reorganised among the existing staff. 5.2 An existing employee s past performance and attendance record should be taken into account when decisions are taken on their suitability for Home Working. 5.3 Home working arrangements must be agreed in advance by the Head of Department/Section in consultation with the Director of Human Resources. 6. Communications and Monitoring 6.1 Heads of Departments/Sections need to carefully monitor employees who work at home in order to ensure their work output is satisfactory. Clear guidelines should be provided on what work outcomes are expected of the employee and regular meetings should take place to assess performance and output. 6.2 Employees working from home must be contactable during core, mutually agreed work hours. They should access regularly. Home telephone numbers and addresses must be accessible to members of the department and other contacts. However, staff working at home have a right to privacy out-of-hours and to be able to separate their working and home lives. 6.3 Normal holiday and sickness absence reporting and notification should be adhered to. 6.4 The workload and performance standards of Home Workers are equivalent to those for staff working on-site, but direct productivity comparisons should acknowledge potential for extra administration requirements of office-based staff. Feedback on performance must be built into communication arrangements. 6.5 Regular visits to the University should be scheduled, and Employees are expected to take advantage of opportunities to meet with colleagues on a regular basis and receive regular University information. 8

9 6.6 Productivity must be demonstrable to managers and colleagues though employees may manage the organisation of their working time. 7. Equipment 7.1 When it is agreed that a member of staff will work from home on a full time or regular basis, they may be provided with the loan of equipment such as a laptop and printer and a mobile phone. 7.2 It is the Department s duty to ensure that: the equipment is suitable and adequate for the task the member of staff is properly trained to use the equipment a DSE assessment is undertaken the equipment is checked regularly and maintained so that it does not cause harm to the member of staff or others. The appropriate technical support will be provided by the University staff who are loaned equipment sign an undertaking to return the equipment in its entirety and in good condition at the request of their manager or at the end of their employment or when the Home Working arrangement comes to an end the domestic electrical systems are adequate for the equipment leads, wires cable, plugs and sockets must be safe and in good working order no leads are trailing to cause a hazard. 7.3 It is the responsibility of the member of staff who is working from home to ensure: that their own computers are virus-free that the equipment is well cared for and secure, and is returned in its entirety and in good condition at the request of their manager or at the end of their employment or when the Home Working arrangement comes to an end that they do not collect or distribute illegal material via the internet. 7.4 The employee may claim reasonable and justifiable expenses for telephone costs caused by the work. 7.5 The University will provide paper, postage and other ancillary equipment as required. 8. Training 8.1 Home Workers should have the same access to training and career development opportunities as comparable employees. 9

10 8.2 Home Workers are subject to the same appraisal policies and arrangements as comparable campus-based employees. 9. Taxation (More precise details are available from Assistant Director of Finance) 9.1 Following measures in the 2003 Budget, the University is able to meet some or all of the incidental costs incurred by employees who work at home under formal arrangements without it giving rise to a tax charge. 9.2 Payments up to 2 per week ( 104 per year) may be made without supporting evidence. For amounts beyond this, receipts must be available to allow exemption. 9.3 The homeworking arrangements that are agreed between the University and the employee should set out clearly the specific household expenses that the University is prepared to subsidise, and the means by which any work-related element is to be determined. 10. Data Protection 10.1 Employees must be made aware of their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, particularly if they are taking sensitive information home eg. personal student or staff information Master files should not normally be removed from offices, and copies should be taken for use at home whenever possible As part of the risk assessment, the University should ensure that where an employee is likely to take personal information home that there was a secure cabinet or drawer in which these documents could be stored securely Staff should ensure that other household members or visitors do not have access to personal data, passwords or telephone numbers All documents and files are the property of the University of Kent. 11. Other Conditions 11.1 Formal meetings or tutorials must not be arranged in an employee s home All University policies will apply to staff working from home as appropriate, eg the Alcohol and Drugs policy Staff working from home have the same rights to Trades Union membership as campus-based staff. JID/AR March06 Updated 18/03/09 10