Homeworking agreement template

Introduction

This agreement confirms the terms and conditions that will apply to you as a homeworker. Other terms and conditions are included in your written statement of particulars [as well as the employee handbook].

Reporting relationship

While working at home, you will report to [name of manager].

Pay

You will be paid a fixed amount of £[amount] every [week/month] while working from home. Overtime will not be paid unless [name of manager] expressly authorises it in writing in advance.

[OR

For each [item produced/piece of work performed], you will be paid a 'fair piece rate' of £[amount].

Each week, the minimum amount of work to be completed is [x pieces]. The maximum quantity of work that should be accomplished each week is [y pieces].]

Job duties

You will perform the following duties at home: [list work duties].

[When working from home, you must plan to deal with the potentially conflicting demands of job and family, and you must strive to be organised and disciplined.]

Hours of work

You are not required to work specific hours and are free to do the accepted tasks whenever it is convenient for you.

However, there are some hours when you must be accessible to respond to phone calls or meet with management. These core hours are from [time] to [time] on [weekdays].

[Company] will generally expect you to contact your manager [once a day/twice a week/once every two weeks].

Rest breaks

You must take adequate rest periods as defined by the Working Time Regulations 1998. You must also:

• where work continues for more than six hours, take a 20-minute break and stop working during that break;
• ensure that you have a daily rest break of at least 11 continuous hours, i.e. the time between stopping work one day and beginning work the next day must not be less than 11 hours; and
• have at least one complete day each week when no work is done.

Sickness

If you are sick and are unable to work, you must notify your manager as soon as possible, including the nature of your sickness and how long you expect to be absent from work. In these situations, [Company's] standard sick pay policy and process will apply.

Visits to [Company] premises

You are required to attend [Company]'s premises at [address] upon request for reasons such as training, performance evaluation, and team briefings. This will generally be no more than [one day per month/half a day per month/two days per month/one day per week], with the dates and hours agreed upon in advance.

You will be paid for time spent at the workplace on such visits at [your normal rate of pay/some other rate].

[OR

No additional payment will be made to you for time spent at the workplace on such visits.]

Performance management

Your manager will conduct a performance assessment with you [every six months/once a year], in accordance with [Company]’s standard appraisal policy. The assessment will include a discussion of the specific issues associated with homeworking and any problems or issues that you have experienced or that the manager believes have arisen.

Visits to your home

Management reserves the right to visit you at home at agreed times for work-related purposes, including health and safety matters. It is a condition of this homeworking agreement that you agree to accept visits from management in your home. Such visits will be for the purposes of [choose the relevant points and expand on them as necessary]:

• delivering and collecting work;
• providing a channel for reporting;
• performance monitoring and feedback;
• general discussions about work-related matters;
• ensuring health, safety and security; and
• any other work-related purposes that [Company] considers appropriate.

Equipment and materials

It is [Company]’s policy that all equipment [including computer equipment, and materials necessary for you to work at home] will be provided to you by [Company] and maintained (and replaced when necessary) by [Company].

It is your duty to ensure that proper care is taken of equipment and materials provided by [Company].

Specifically, [Company] will provide:

• a [laptop] computer;
• a printer;
• a photocopier;
• a scanner;
• a fax machine;
• a mobile telephone;
• a filing cabinet;
• [other items as appropriate].

On termination of your employment for any reason, [Company] will have the right to visit your home at an agreed time and retrieve all equipment, furniture and documents belonging to [Company].

Telephone and internet accounts

[Company/You] will pay the costs of connection fees for all telephone and internet connections in your home.

[Company] will reimburse you for all telephone and internet accounts associated with the use of your telephone and [laptop] computer used in connection with [Company]'s business. Claims should be made monthly on [Company]'s expenses claim form.

[[Company] will pay all the bills for calls made by you on the mobile phone provided by [Company] to you, which must be used only for work-related purposes.]

Stationery and postage

You should obtain receipts for any stationery purchased and any items posted in the course of your work and reclaim the costs from [Company] once a month, using [Company]'s expenses claim form.

Security

You must carry out your work for [Company] in a room used only for that purpose and must not allow members of your family or third parties who are not employed by [Company] to access or use [Company] equipment.

[You must also agree not to smoke in the room where the work is carried out.]

You are responsible for keeping all documents and information associated with [Company]'s business secure at all times. Specifically, you are under a duty to:

• keep filing cabinets and drawers locked when they are not being used;
• keep all documentation belonging to [Company] under lock and key at all times except when in use; and
• set up and use a unique password for the computer.

Further, the computer [and other equipment] provided by [Company] must be used only for work-related purposes and must not be used by any other member of the family at any time or for any purpose.

Health and safety issues

[Company] is obliged under health and safety legislation to ensure the health and safety of homeworkers in the same way as for office-based staff. [Company] will therefore take appropriate steps to ensure that:

• all equipment and systems of work in your home are safe;
• all articles and substances are safely handled and stored;
• an analysis of your workstation is conducted;
• information and training on the safe use of equipment, including display screen equipment, is provided to you; and
• risk assessments are carried out in respect of the work that you are carrying out.

You have a duty to ensure, insofar as is reasonably practicable, that you work in a safe manner and follow all health and safety instructions issued by [Company] from time to time.

Insurance

You are responsible for checking that all home and contents insurance policies provide adequate cover for the fact that you work at home.

If there is any uplift in the premium for any of these home insurance policies specifically on account of the work for [Company], [Company] will meet the appropriate extra premium upon provision by you of the appropriate documentation and receipts.