The number of regulations which apply to the employment sector is huge and continues to grow. There appears to have been a regular supply of new laws, guidelines and directives which cover wages, working conditions, discrimination and diversity, to mention just a few. This has created not only a time-consuming burden of administration on businesses but also the fear that they may miss one or more of the alterations and find themselves being taken to court or an industrial tribunal. The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) claimed in a recent press release, “The relentless flow of complex employment law is stifling UK competitiveness and risks future job creation”. The BCC has calculated that the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002 has cost the UK’s businesses over 1.5bn pounds since its introduction. If one includes the matching scenario which is occurring as a result of new financial requirements and the increasingly complicated nature of the country’s tax system it is evident that directors of businesses have to be very vigilant to ensure that they are operating within the rules.

One of the fields within the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002 suggests having staff Work From Home. This would allow|would permit|would enable[/spin] employers to hold on to skilled staff who may otherwise be compelled finish work if their personal circumstances change. It can also allow businesses to benefit from good quality staff who may not otherwise be interested without the possibility of flexible working. It should be noted at this point that the critical aspect to think about when providing staff the chance to Work From Home is the suitability of their specific job role. When one realises that just 3 per cent of Britain’s workforce currently Work From Home permanently it puts the concept into some perspective. Furthermore, this figure has not altered since 2002 despite the advent of the modern Internet Business where most of the staff would describe their positions as Online Jobs due to their use of the latest communication technology. An additional 18% of staff work at home on an occasional basis but one third of these do so less than once a month so it can be presumed that it is done on an ad hoc rather than a regular basis.

If appropriate job roles are found and there are staff who wish to Work From Home then the practicalities must be deliberated. The objective of this exercise must be not to dilute the quality of work that would be produced from an office base. Consequently, the tools required to do the work must be installed at home. This may include some or all of the basic office equipment such as a desk, chair, filing cabinet, computer, printer, fax and stationery. Communication technology will permit the staff to keep in contact with management, clients and colleagues and this will be vital to the success or otherwise of permitting the worker to Work From Home. An internet connection will be vital, preferably broadband if modern features such as video-conferencing are to be used. For more low-tech communication a dedicated telephone line or mobile phone will suffice. As the amount of equipment increases it becomes apparent that another important factor in the process is the creation of sufficient space in the worker’s home to allow them to create an office.

To sum up, the practicalities of having staff Work From Home can make this part of the flexible working concept very difficult to implement unless you happen to be an Internet Business built around Online Jobs. How determined a business is to introduce it, especially with the prospect of increased costs, could well depend on the importance to the company of the employee who needs to work from home.

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Tags: business, career, jobs, jobs online, online jobs

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