Questions most frequently asked about teleworking

How do I become a teleworker?

Being a teleworker is not a job in the way that being an accountant or a hairdresser or a secretary is a job. Telework is just a way of providing your knowledge and skills to an employer or to your business. It means working away from a central office, usually at or from your own home but sometimes on the move from hotels, coffee shops or business centres.

I run a small business and I can't afford all these employee rights - how can I avoid giving people flexible working options?

If flexible working is really impossible to implement, will cost too much or will be bad for business then you are not forced to introduce it. However other people’s experience is that flexible workers are more productive, have less absenteeism and are more loyal than other workers. So flexible working is likely to be good for business and should be seen as a way of making the best use of human resources and not an imposed employee right.

Is it legal for me to use my home for work?

For most people working from home is not a problem. But you should consult your rental agreement or mortgage terms to clarify this and you may find that you are under an obligation to inform your landlord or mortgagor. Other things to consider are:

• Council tax vs business rates
• Insurance for equipment and public liability
• Health and safety regulations

How do I find home based work?

We strongly advise you NOT to simply put “home based work” or any similar search phrase into Google or any other search engine. The results are likely to include lots of scams designed to part you from your money. Instead, use the same methods you would use to search for ‘ordinary’ work. Approach recruitment agencies or companies direct and simply ask whether the job you are interested in could be done from home for all or part of the time. When using online job sites, search as you usually would, but add ‘home based’ or a similar keyword to narrow your search.

I've allowed a couple of my employees who are Mums to work at home part of the time, now my single employees want to know why they can't do the same. They say it's unfair treatment and it's causing bad feeling. How can I resolve this?

Unfortunately just allowing parents and carers flexibility creates resentment amongst other employees so many employers give the same rights to all employees and don’t discriminate in favour of one group (even though the legislation encourages you to do that.) An open discussion amongst the whole team is usually a good way to resolve the issue and it is amazing to see the creative ideas that come out of this that meet the business need as well as provide the optimum work-life balance for individuals.

How do I sort out genuine opportunities from scams?

This can be difficult, but think of it in the same way as you would searching for a normal job. You wouldn’t expect Marks and Spencer to ask for information about your bank account before interviewing you, so suspect anyone else asking for such information. If you’re looking at a website offering work, then look for a proper physical address (not a post box number), telephone contact details, and the name of a real person. If all of these are present then it’s less likely to be a scam (although still possible)

The home based work opportunity I’ve found is commission only and they say I can earn thousands of pounds, should I give it a try?

This is really a personal decision but try to be honest with yourself about whether you really have the skills needed to achieve those high earnings. Make sure you understand exactly what you have to do, or what standards you have to reach, to earn commission and make sure you have a contract in writing that sets it all out. Be VERY wary of a scheme that requires you to start by paying for your own training, even if it is in theory refundable from your earnings.

My employer says I can't work at home 2 days a week, but childcare is getting so expensive that I can't it afford full time. How do I get my employer to agree?

Working at home is not a good alternative to childcare as it is difficult to concentrate on work whilst looking after children. However working at home can still help with work/life balance and making a request to your manager may be successful if you can prove that you can get the work done just as well from home as from the office. Although you have a legal right to request home working you need to show that there is no negative effect on the business or you are still likely to be refused.

I want to start my own business – where can I get advice?

By joining the Telework Association you’ll get a copy of the Teleworking Handbook and have access to lots of advice about working from home. Specialised advice about starting and running your business is available from Business Link, the free business advice and support service, backed by Government. They offer a Business Start-up Organiser to create a personalised list of tasks to assist you when setting up your business.