This will occur where there is a significant change in the duties or remuneration of an employee. If you suddenly require an employee who had been working on site to work from home, the employee may be able to argue that he or she has been constructively dismissed. Conversely, unless you expressly reserve the right to have the employee return to the regular workplace should the arrangement be unsuccessful, the right to work at home may become a term of the employment relationship. This means that an employee could claim constructive dismissal if you forced him or her to return to the regular work site. Health and safety considerations are a serious concern with telecommuting.
Employers are generally responsible to provide a safe work environment.
This can be extremely tricky with a home office. It is hard enough to provide a safe work environment over which you have control but the home office presents many unique difficulties. For example, it may not contain proper office equipment, such as task lighting and an ergonomic chair, resulting in eye strain and back pain. In addition, the isolation of telework can cause stress and other mental health problems and the household often contains hazardous substances, such as cleaning supplies or other chemicals. Linked to health and safety is worker's compensation.