What is a Working From Home Policy?
A Working From Home Policy clearly outlines the working arrangements and health and safety guidelines for employees who are working from home. Flexible work is becoming more common in Australia in 2020. COVID19 has forced many businesses to rapidly change the way they operate and allow employees to work from home for the first time.
A WFH Policy is a great way to formalise these new remote working arrangements with employees.
What We Offer
- Free Discovery Call
- Fully customised Working From Home Policy to suit your business
- Fixed Fee Pricing
- Practical legal advice
- Fast turnaround times
What are my employer obligations?
You have an obligation as an employer to ensure the health and safety of workers. This duty of care still applies when your team are working from home. A Working From Home Policy can help you meet these obligations by providing guidelines for safe work.
We also recommend you have a WHS Policy to formally document the responsibility of employees and others in contributing to a safe workplace.
What’s included in a Working From Home Policy?
A Working From Home Policy includes responsibilities of each team member, equipment (home workspace), communication protocols, availability and the term of the WFH arrangement.
Work from home arrangements can be occasional, temporary or permanent. Every workplace is different, which is why it’s important to have a policy that is drafted to specifically meet the requirements of your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are going to allow employees to work from home, we strongly recommend you implement a formal Working From Home Policy to document the arrangement. It helps to set the ground rules in black and white so everyone is clear on their obligations.
Working From Home can be a great option for employees in industries which aren’t location-dependent. However, some jobs simply can’t be performed at home (e.g. working in a factory),
Flexible work offers many great benefits including increased productivity, higher staff morale and Improved employee health, safety and wellbeing due to lower stress levels and healthier lifestyle practices.
Every situation is different, which is why you need expert advice from a commercial lawyer. We’re small business specialists, so you know you’re in safe hands with us.
We’ll consider your unique situation and let you know if we think this is right for your business.
Our head office is at Inspire Cowork – a coworking space in Sydney – but we also support flexible work for our team. Our lawyers can work from anywhere.
We use technology to come to you, wherever you’re located around Australia. Many of our clients work from home or at coworking spaces, just like us.
We communicate with our clients via phone, email and Zoom – whatever works best for you. There’s no need to meet face to face, but if you’re ever in the area you’re welcome to drop in!
