Terms & Conditions

[Accura]

Hi

I am in the process of reviewing our policy for homeworking staff and our HR team have advised that I have to allow staff “travel time” for travelling to and from the office for training, meetings and 121s – this is for both part and full time homeworkers.

I have challenged this, based on experiences in both public and private sector, advising that simple wording in a homeworker’s agreement should state that “from time to time you will be expected to travel to your office for work purposes”

I’d be keen to know what practices are out there for those of you that have homeworking up and running

many thanks

Paul

[Mikeb2]

Makes sense to me as their home is their ‘normal place of work’.

We currently have no homeworkers but I will be first in the queue as it would save me 2 hours a day…

[Julian Hobson]

From our policy

[i:851d428a6f]7.3 Attendance at main office

(i) Although based at home, the Homeworker is still an important member of their team, the Benefits section and the Revenues and Benefits Service; and as such every effort will be made to ensure that the Homeworker feels valued and supported.

(ii) The Homeworker and will be required to attend the office for team meetings, 1:1 and PRD meetings, which will be scheduled as far in advance as possible. Travelling time to and from these meetings will be allowed, and the homeworker will not be required to work in the office on these days.

(iii) The Homeworker will be responsible for ensuring they have sufficient supplies of stationery. To reduce the need for unnecessary trips to and from the main office, the Homeworker should endeavour to collect stationery requirements, when attending the main office for their team meeting.[/i:851d428a6f]

[simondoyle]

When we allowed our staff the priviledge to work from home we never changed their contract of employment – in it, it states their normal place of work is the council office.

Therefore, they are treated no differently to those of us who work in the office on a full time basis.

Considering I have 4 homeworkers who live over 30 miles away we have never had any problems with them coming in the office. When these particular officers come in for meetings or training, they tend to stay the whole day while those who live more local will go home (in their own time).

[Anonymous]

We have quite a few home workers. Most are required to come into the office for meetings and counter shifts. As with Simon, our home workers normal place of work is the office and they are [i:c30251472c]permitted [/i:c30251472c] to work from home. This “privilege” may be withdrawn. I think the furthest any of our home workers travel is about 150 miles each way (but he is a strange boy). No travelling time is allowed and no expenses are paid.

I think it balances out. I spend 3 hours a day going to, and coming home from, work and it costs me a lot of money. I’d like a commute that was the length of my staircase, but then I couldn’t do the job I have now so I’m happy to do the travelling.

[mjg666]

What about the scenario where you have recently moved offices and then will be permitted to work from home in the future?

Example – We have all moved from our offices at the town centre to a new site 5 miles away. We have been given the option of home working in the future. The town centre is still the base for other council departments and meetings. Therefore travelling from our new site back to the Town Hall (which is stated as our base in our employment contracts) and the time it takes to get there is classed as “travel time”. As such how is travelling from home to a meeting from the Town Hall excluded as “travel time” but permitted for travelling from our new site?

[Author]

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