What is a home office?
What used to be called boring home work is now called home office and actually means nothing other than working from home. Depending on the job and employer, this work at home can be of varying extent.
Home work used to mean, for example, that women did knitting and sewing work at home on behalf of others. Ironing work was also done for others. The fact that a man with an office job would take his work home with him and declare Wednesday as a home office day, for example, would have been unthinkable 50 years ago.
Today, many employers offer their employees the opportunity to do some of their work from home, which is particularly convenient for families with children where both parents work. Of course, this only works if the boss and colleagues support it and if certain rules regarding working hours and availability are observed. Many employees have the option of working from home included in their employment contracts.
Many companies have now realized that the productivity of their employees increases when they can work from home and see this as an opportunity to position themselves as an attractive employer.
How does the home office work?
In fact, home office doesn't work in every case. However, there are jobs where setting up a home office may be desirable not only for employees but also for employers. There are a few things to consider to make this work well for everyone.
You can find more information about home offices as well as many other detailed articles and tips here in our Aeris magazine.
First and foremost, an employment contract must be checked to see who is liable in the event of an insurance claim. This is because an accident during work or at the workplace must be defined accordingly. Regardless of such things, an employer must clearly communicate what results they expect from employees working from home. Important parameters here are accessibility, quantity or quality of work, flexibility , areas of responsibility, deadlines and teamwork.
It is also important to clarify the extent to which a home office can be connected to the company's office via the Internet and telephone. A great deal of attention is paid to data protection so that employees in the home office can also receive and edit confidential documents. In addition, uniform hardware must be used to ensure that the home office has the same performance as a normal office. Employers usually take on the purchase and installation of the necessary hardware and software.
It is important to note that a home office does not mean being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free time is free time - even for employees. The employer must ensure this. But the employee should also insist on it and pay attention to it.
Who pays for the home office?
If working from home is approved and agreed, the work at home is part of working hours and is compensated with the salary. However, in most cases the responsibility for setting up a home office lies with the employee. The employer provides a computer and a telephone, in some cases even a separate telephone line. However, the purchase of office furniture is usually the responsibility of the employee.
In many cases, it is worth it for the employee to spend a little money and invest. For example, care should be taken to ensure that the home office has some "movement temptations", for example an Aeris Active Office, which turns offices into exercise spaces, and active seating such as the Swopper from Aeris, which makes rigid and therefore unhealthy sitting impossible. In addition, certain investments - and this includes the ergonomic office chair - can be deducted from taxes.
