Working from home and hybrid working policy template
Also searched for as hybrid working policy template UK, remote working policy, homeworking policy template.
Hybrid working needs a policy because the questions it raises are the ones that end up in disputes: who is eligible, which days are in the office, who pays for the desk and the broadband, what happens to the laptop and the paperwork at home, and whether the arrangement can be changed back. This template answers each of them in ten clauses, and keeps the informal arrangement separate from the statutory right to request flexible working, which has its own process and its own timescales.
What is in this template
- Scope, and how the policy relates to statutory flexible working requests.
- Eligibility: which roles can work from home and the criteria applied.
- The default office and home split, with anchor days.
- Health and safety at home, including the Display Screen Equipment Regulations and reporting under RIDDOR.
- Working hours and rest under the Working Time Regulations, and being contactable.
- Six rules on confidentiality and data security at home.
- Expenses, equipment, insurance and the HMRC homeworking allowance.
- Equipment provided, and mortgage, tenancy and insurance considerations for the employee.
- The employer's right to vary or end the arrangement on reasonable notice.
- The statutory right to request flexible working from day one, and how a request is handled.
How to use it
- Decide the default pattern and the anchor days for your business and write them in clause three.
- Decide what you provide (laptop, screen, chair) and what you pay towards (broadband, the HMRC allowance) and put it in clause seven.
- Have each homeworker complete a display screen assessment for their home set-up; the policy requires it and the regulations require you to have assessed the workstation.
- Keep the arrangement informal and non-contractual under this policy; where someone asks for a permanent change, run it as a statutory flexible working request and confirm the change in writing.
Questions people ask
Is a working from home policy legally required?
No, but several of the duties it carries are: assessing the display screen workstation, the working time limits and rest breaks, data protection for information handled at home, and handling flexible working requests within the statutory process. The policy is how you show those duties are met.
Can I change or end a hybrid arrangement?
If it was agreed informally under a policy that reserves the right to vary on reasonable notice, yes, for business reasons and with notice. If it was agreed as a statutory flexible working change, it is a permanent change to terms and needs agreement to reverse. The template keeps the two routes distinct for this reason.
What can I pay tax-free for homeworking?
HMRC allows a flat weekly homeworking allowance without receipts where the employee is required to work from home, and reimbursement of additional household costs with evidence. The rate is set by HMRC and changes; the template references the guidance rather than a figure.
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