Employees end up footing the bill for working from home

Almost two-thirds of home workers say employers don’t contribute to equipping the workspace, according to a survey by Regus.

The vast majority of the UK’s home workers are having to meet the associated costs of equipping and maintaining their workspace themselves according to the latest research by leading global workplace provider, Regus.

The survey of over 4,000 UK senior business people found that only around a third of people working from home (35%) received contributions from their firm towards kitting out their office. If a company subsidising the cost of a worker’s home office is unusual, an employer covering all the costs is particularly rare. 82% say most companies that encourage their employees to work from home do not cover all the costs of creating and maintaining a professional workspace.

The costs to equip and maintain a home office can be substantial. A quarter (25%) of respondents report that it would take a whole monthly salary for them to fit out a professional working space within their home. Additionally, the surveys reveals that the average cost of running an office like this in the UK is almost £2000 a year. Nearly half (43%) of workers think that most companies encouraging their employees to work from home are simply trying to transfer the workspace cost onto the employee.

Richard Morris, UK CEO, Regus comments, “The cost of furnishing a home office is substantial so if this expense is passed onto employees, companies could find themselves flouting health and safety laws as well as lacking the necessary insurance cover. Nevertheless, the financial benefits of remote working for both staff and employer are clear. By cutting commuting times and working more flexibly staff become more productive and more likely to remain loyal.”

“A far better solution is for companies to offer workers the chance to use a fully equipped, professional, flexible workspace close to home. Not only will they be safe in the knowledge that they are complying with health and safety rules, but they will know staff have access to the right equipment and technology for a predictable monthly cost.”