Working from Home

Professional and academic staff members may work from home:

• for a specified period of time
• for a specific project
• under certain conditions provided the arrangement is both appropriate and practicable.

Approval for a home based work arrangement is therefore considered on a case to case basis, having regard to the nature and requirements of the work, including Occupational Health and Safety requirements.

Work duties that involve a high level of autonomy and independence are more appropriate for home based work arrangements and include:

• project work
• report writing
• policy development and analysis
• computer design and programming
• duties that do not require close supervision or contact with other staff, students and public relations
• a degree of computer literacy to facilitate independent work from home
• minimal usage of files and other resources located in the office.

The type of equipment required for undertaking home based work may include:

• a computer with disc drives, a USB port or ethernet connection for transferring work done at home to the office
• switching work phone through to the home computer or home phone
• having access to University databases and networks on the home computer
• the provision of a telephone answering service, fax machine or mobile phone.

Benefits

Working from home can result in:

• the ability to concentrate on a primary project
• less time spent travelling to and from work
• reduced child care costs
• more time with the children and family.

Potential Difficulties

Working from may also facilitate:

• practical difficulties in arranging equipment required by the employee to undertake home based work
• potential risks/hazards at home
• distractions resulting in an inability to work as effectively and efficiently as an equivalent staff member on campus
• feelings of isolation
• lack of access to staff development opportunities and workplace information.

Suggestions for overcoming potential problems

Good planning prior to the introduction of the home based work arrangement is crucial to preventing many of the potential problems that may arise under this type of arrangement. The University provides information for Managers, including steps to be followed in negotiating flexible work arrangements and a checklist to assist with this process. Guidelines to be followed by staff in constructing a flexible work proposal are also provided.