Home working, what are the rules, pro, cons, etc?

[ericmark]

I retired before Covid an as an electrician could not really work from home anyway, other than call out diagnosis, however I see during Covid it was a good idea, but it seems to also raise some issues. Security, working conditions, training, etc, spring to mind, I know my daughter used our flat as her office for a time, and she was very careful to blank the screen if I visited, but the chair she was using would have not passed H&S in the office, and desk on bricks to make it high enough.

I see reports like this on the BBC about council workers and I wonder how new staff are taught the ropes, when no old staff in the offices? And how safe are my details when they are in someone's home? I could not wander into my daughter's office when she was at work, but could when she works from home.

And I remember on the death of my sister, her company wanting their laptop back, and other stuff, but there was nothing in her will to say what was theirs and what was hers, and the executors were not going to release stuff until sure it did belong to her firm, so what they did get back, took some 3 months before they got it.

As to paying for office space, daughter's office still set up, and we have bought a large shed, to store stuff, which could have been stored where she has her office, it does not matter if used once a month, or every day, it still costs, but in winter also costs to heat it. As to legal standpoint, my deeds do not allow me to run a business from my home, this was on most deeds, exception was doctor, dentist, and solicitor, no other trade permitted, also rules stopping one having some animals at home, hens for example. But although I have the deeds now, for many years the mortgage company had the deeds, so finding what they say is not always easy.

As to if a business is classed to be run from home, the domestic tradesman is often a sole trader, and is not actually doing the work at home, but often has a large van in the drive, and uses the home to store stuff, and clearly does his accounts etc from home, so is he working from home?

 

[robinbanks]

I wonder how new staff are taught the ropes, when no old staff in the offices?

Probably via shadowing remotely

And how safe are my details when they are in someone's home?

Likely they aren't in someone's home; the computer they use can just be a viewport to a larger, more powerful central computer that the data stays on; the local computer views it and updates it but the files with your data in don't get sent to the local one. Consider it like keyhole surgery

is he working from home?

No, because when he works (eg an electrician installs wiring and electrical accessories etc) he is not at home. He could declare that a percentage of his property is used for business purposes, and he is probably in his home for some of the time (doing the admin that runs the business) but it isn't working from home

 

[accelerator]

As to if a business is classed to be run from home

I think it's really to prevent annoyance for the neighbours. For example, you couldn't run a car repair business at home. You can't have lots of people coming round your house, parking issues etc.

If you're just sat at home on a computer and it's not bothering anyone, then that's absolutely fine.

 

[accelerator]

Re remote training, then with video calling etc, there's a lot of technology to help out with this.

 

[Gasguru]

I suggest you check whether you can get your buildings & contents insurance to cover it....anything apart from a purely admin role and it's almost impossible to find a suitable policy.
There have been many articles published over the last few years looking into this hurdle, estimating that millions of home workers have voided their policies through their choice to run a non admin business from home.
In my circumstances (I run a light manufacturing business & carry out electronics R&D/repairs) I could only find a single company willing to insure us (at a high price too). The business is a single room within the home but the mere mention of IPA cleaners/soldering etc. and the majority of policies will specifically exclude you.
For all the talk of home based working the government have done absolutely nothing to force the insurance industry to facilitate sensible insurance policies. Brokers are universally clueless when it comes to anything other than simple admin roles.
Of course some other very defined traditional jobs eg. home hairdressing/jewellery making have such a long history and policies are readily available.

 

[Mottie]

Likely they aren't in someone's home; the computer they use can just be a viewport to a larger, more powerful central computer that the data stays on; the local computer views it and updates it but the files with your data in don't get sent to the local one. Consider it like keyhole surgery

When Mrs Mottie works from home, she works with highly sensitive data on patients (she transcribes for nhs consultants). She has to ensure that her pc in her office is switched on and running and she accesses that pc from a laptop at home. Each time she logs on, she has an authentication app on her phone that she must use and a random login code is generated and sent to her mobile for her to be able to log on. Something like that anyway - she can’t just log in to the NHS website directly from the home laptop. I suppose if someone knew her authentication password and had access to her mobile they could get in to a particular part of the system she uses.

 

[mattylad]

Pro's:

You can decide if you want to get fully dressed or lounge about in your PJ's.
You can have a brew anytime you want.
You do not have to write your name on your food in the fridge and at lunchtime (or anytime) it has a higer chance of still being there.
You do not have to put up with other assholes on the commute into work and the journey is now mega quick.
Once you have finished your work you can rlax on the couch within seconds and not however long it took you to get home from the office.
Your doughnuts are yours.
You can relax and have a time out without anyone bitching about you.

Con's:
Sometimes you have to get fully dressed for meetings.
Sometimes you have to go into the office.
It can be boring if you do not have anyone else in the house.
You have to make your own coffee.
No one else brings in cake so you have to get it yourself.

Rules:
You did it, you flush it - if it stinks you have to smell it.
When the paper runs out, you have to replace it.
You have to run and empty the dishwasher, no one else will do it for you.



I wish I could work from home, except I don't think I could carry all the products I work on up into my attic room

 

[robinbanks]

Something like that anyway - she can’t just log in to the NHS website directly from the home laptop

Indeed, though it's notionally not really any more or less dangerous to use a website vs a remote desktop session of some form or another (I can't see the root difference between operating a session on a web server via a website interface versus operating a login session via a streaming video interface; in both the critical data is mostly left at the remote end with only fragments of it every being presented for view and manipulation at the local end), but she will have to toe the line the IT dept have agreed and made policy.

Their policy is likely driven by legacy, such as the software she uses simply doesn't have a web presentations and rather than embark on a project to turn it web enabled, which will run over time/budget and end up yet another farcical example of a public sector IT project, I suspect they will have gone with what they had that worked (transcribing software that runs locally on her works machine) and found a way to interact with that office machine over remote link (Citrix, RDP, VNC or similar, with extra layers of security for the transmission of data between her home and her office, such as 2FA codes, encryption tunnels etc)

 

[Mottie]

Mts Mottie used to complain about the uncomfortable chair and seating position, the state of the toilets, the temperature - cold in winter, hot in summer, kitchen always in a mess with people not clearing up after themselves, lewd comments and groping from others in the building and people eating her food from the fridge. I reminded her that she was the one that chose to work from home……

 

[cdbe]

Make me wish I hadn't left the civil service 10 years ago - I did FA in the office, I'd have done even less at home.