Household bills
[ch 5: pages 30-31]Many employers contribute to the homeworker’s bills for heating, lighting and electricity. It is also usual for the employer to cover the cost of all work-related phone calls.
A homeworking policy should outline how the costs are calculated — for example, does the employee have to provide proof of bills or does the employer simply pay a monthly or annual flat rate towards the cost of heating and lighting. As the employer has no obligation to pay any allowance this needs to be decided when the homeworking arrangement is negotiated.
At engineering insurance company Allianz, contractual homeworkers receive a monthly payment towards the cost of running a home office, and to compensate for the lack of a subsidised staff restaurant, and towards the cost of cleaning protective clothing.
A homeworker allowance of £250 is available at Norfolk County Council. This is a contribution towards the extra fuel and insurance costs that may be incurred through homeworking, and as compensation for the inconvenience of loss of living space. This allowance is taxable (see section on tax, page 32)