Putting the office in order Setting up a home office needs a little more work than an extra telephone line. Where a home worker is an employee rather than self-employed, his or her company has to ensure that the home office meets health and safety rules. This means ergonomic desks and chairs, not just safe electrics. Under a formal teleworking programme, this work will normally be carried out automatically. Where the arrangement is more improvised, you should still ask, and expect, the employer to organise the work, and cover the costs.
Companies usually insure any equipment they provide for home workers.
This is important, as items such as laptops are expensive to insure privately. A company, on the other hand, can add it to a general insurance policy at very little extra cost. Home workers do, though, need to look at their own household insurance. Most insurance companies no longer object to people working from home, but they need to be told. Sometimes, there can even be a discount.