Homeworking

Implementation guidelines for applicants and managers

For guidance on working at home during the Covid-19 pandemic please refer to the University's Covid webpages.

Oxford Brookes is committed to promoting and practising equal opportunities in employment. This includes giving employees, wherever practicable, the opportunity to work more flexibly. Homeworking is also advocated in the University Sustainable Travel Plan 2006-2010 as a way of reducing our overall carbon emissions.

Requests for homeworking will be considered in relation to any job role that may be carried out equally on site or from a remote location, usually the employee’s home. It is evident that some roles do not lend themselves to any form of homeworking as they can only be carried out on site. In some roles (e.g. academic staff) working at home is already common practice, and should be managed on an informal and ad hoc basis.

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a framework within which employees and management can agree arrangements for working at or from home. The guidelines must be read in conjunction with the flexible working policy (homeworking). These guidelines are not intended to be prescriptive; however there are certain fundamental principles which must apply and which should be understood by employees and their managers.

Health and Safety enquiries

+44 (0) 1865 603060

healthandsafety@brookes.ac.uk

Appendices - forms

1. Definitions of homeworking

The University is willing to consider the following models of homeworking, depending on the circumstances of the role and operational requirements.

Occasional homeworking. Applies to employees who, with the approval of their line manager, work at home on an occasional and ad hoc basis (i.e. where there is no agreed pattern of homeworking), even though their contract of employment requires them to be based at Oxford Brookes University.

Regular homeworking. Applies to employees who have a regularly pattern of working at home agreed with their line manager (e.g. once a week or once a month) even though their contract of employment requires them to be based at Oxford Brookes University.

Designated homeworking. Applies to employees who work from home (their office is based in their home) even though they may work other than at home for part of their working hours. Becoming a designated homeworker involves a change in the contract of employment to reflect the new work location.

2. General guiding principles

The guidance below applies to all categories of homeworkers. Further guidance applying to support staff and academic staff can be found in sections 4, 5 and 6.

The interests of employees who are not working at or from home will be protected at all times. E.g. no employee will be expected to incur an increased workload due to colleagues working from home.
Employees working at or from home should not suffer a detriment financially, in terms of job satisfaction or career prospects.
Employees working at and from home must adhere to all university policies in the same way as office based employees.
Employees working at or from home must be contactable by telephone by their line manager or departmental head.
Employees working at or from home will not be entitled to claim travel expenses from home to the University.

3. Guiding principles for line managers

Line managers should take into account the following when assessing any requests to work at or from home.

4. Occasional and regular homeworking - Professional Services staff

Occasional and regular homeworking applies to employees who, with the approval of their line manager, work at home on an occasional, ad hoc, or regular basis even though their contract of employment requires them to be based at Oxford Brookes University.

General guidelines

There is no absolute right on the part of any employee to work at home. All such work practices will be reviewed regularly by the employee’s line manager and, if necessary, the member of staff will be required to revert to their former working arrangement.
Employees wishing to work from home either occasionally or regularly must complete Homeworking application form A. This form need only be completed once, but in all instances there must be signed agreement from the employee’s line manager and approval from the relevant Dean or Director. Line managers should return all completed forms to their link HR Manager.
Working at home will not be recognised as such unless agreed with the line manager.
Enough notice of a wish to work at home must be given to enable the employee’s line manager to ensure that the working of the team or department will not be adversely affected.
Specific work activities must be undertaken.
Frequency and duration of working at home must be agreed with the line manager.
Once there is an agreement that an individual is to work at home for a part of a day, a given day, or given period of days, the arrangement will be respected as far as possible. However, in an emergency, employees working at home must be prepared to be recalled to the office at short notice.

Equipment and Workstation

Employees working at home on an occasional or regular basis will normally be expected to provide their own equipment and workstation. Where access to Brooke’s services not generally accessible from offsite is needed (e.g. finance systems) please contact computer services for details of required equipment.
Employees working at home on an occasional or regular basis are expected to bear the cost of telephone calls and any increase in domestic bills such as heating and electricity.

Risk assessment

Before any agreement for occasional and regular homeworkers can be made a risk assessment of the homeworking environment must take place. Occasional and regular homeworkers may undertake a self-assessment using appendices 1 to 4 (risk assessment forms). Where required the University Safety Officer will provide guidance to enable employees to undertake the assessment.
It is the responsibility of the line manager to ensure that a copy of the forms is given to the employee and to review the completed forms to ensure that the homeworking environment conforms to health and safety guidelines.
All forms should be returned to the employee’s line manager. If the line manager has any concerns as to the suitability of the home environment they should contact the University Safety Officer. Where homeworking has been agreed completed forms should be forwarded to the link HR manager and stored on the employees personnel file.
Regular homeworkers should provide a digital photo of their workstation to support their self-assessment. The photo should be returned with the self assessment form to their line manager.
The University may, in some instances, require the risk assessments undertaken at the employee’s home to be carried out by the University Safety Officer or a trained representative of the School/Directorate.
If the employee moves to a different home address they must inform the University and the suitability of the new work location must also be assessed.
It is the responsibility of the employee to notify the University of any other circumstances that could impact on the safety of the home working environment.

5. Occasional and regular homeworking - Academic staff

Occasional and regular homeworking applies to employees who work at home on an occasional, ad hoc, or regular basis even though their contract of employment requires them to be based at Oxford Brookes University.

Existing custom and practice means that, for academic staff, the process of making a request to work from home on an occasional or regular basis may be managed on an informal and ad hoc basis. However the University has a duty of care towards all its employees and must ensure they are working within an environment that meets health and safety guidelines.
For this reason all academic staff who work at home on a occasional or regular basis must complete a self-assessment of the home working environment using appendices 1 - 4 (risk assessment forms). It is the responsibility of the employee’s line manager to ensure that the forms are made available and completed.
All forms should be returned to the employee’s line manager. If the line manager has any concerns as to the suitability of the home environment they should contact the University Safety Officer. Where homeworking has been agreed all completed forms should be forwarded to the link HR manager and stored on the employees personnel file.
The University may, in some instances, require the risk assessments undertaken at the employee’s home to be carried out by the University Safety Officer or a trained representative of the School/Directorate.
If the employee moves to a different home address they must inform the University and the suitability of the new work location must also be assessed.
It is the responsibility of the employee to notify the University of any other circumstances that could impact on the safety of the home working environment.

6. Designated homeworkers - Academic and Professional Services staff

Employees are referred to as ‘designated homeworkers’ where they have a change in their contract of employment to have their office based in their home, even though they may be other than at home for part of their working time.

General guidelines

Equipment and Workstation

Risk assessment

The University Safety Officer or a trained representative of the School/Directorate will carry out the risk assessment undertaken at the employee’s home.
A digital photo or photos of the agreed workstation will be taken by the University Safety officer and kept on the employee’s personnel file.
If an employee moves to a different home address they must inform the University and the suitability of the new work location must also be assessed.
It is the responsibility of the employee to notify the University of any other circumstances that could impact on the safety of the home working environment.
The frequency of any subsequent visits will be dependent on the quality and adequacy of the work location. E.g. if the employee provides a separate office that easily conforms to required standards a revisit might not take place for 2 years. If the location is only just adequate the University may to revisit sooner to check the workspace is still acceptable.
Homeworkers are required to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of other persons who may be affected by their acts and omissions at work in the home.
Risk assessments should take into account the following issues

7. Data protection

8. Taxation and Insurance

Taxation/mortgage
Employees working at or from home are responsible for any tax or mortgage implications arising out of their homeworker status. It is strongly recommended that employees investigate any likely tax and mortgage implications before they commence any homeworking arrangement. Staff may also wish to take advice from their recognised trade union.

9. Risk Assessment - see also appendices 1 - 4

Any agreement for staff to work at or from home will be dependent on a satisfactory risk assessment. This will involve an assessment of all the risks to the health and safety of the member of staff working at or from home. The assessment will identify any potential hazards in the home and assess the risks those hazards might pose to the member of staff, and other occupants of and visitors to the home. Appropriate action to remove those risks or reduce them as far as possible must be taken.
Occasional and regular homeworkers must complete a self-assessment. Designated homeworkers will have their assessment undertaken by the University’s Safety Officer or by a trained member of staff from the homeworkers Faculty or Directorate.