Whilst we all know that the switch to working from home rather than commuting to the office offers some savings. Two documents briefly captured my attention today that illustrate just how much better off employers and employees can be going forward.
Tax Relief is available for working at home
The first was a note from HMRC advising that employees can claim £312 per year in tax relief on additional household expenses incurred when working from home. This is in addition to any savings incurred through not commuting, buying coffees, lunches, work clothes, etc.
For employers I came across this list of expenses that can be reduced or eliminated if we switch to home working:
- Rent
- Business rates
- Water and sewage charges
- Estate maintenance
- Building maintenance
- Window cleaning
- Office cleaning
- Building insurance
- Energy charges
- Air conditioning maintenance
- Security service charge
- Fire detection maintenance
- Electrical testing portable and fixed line
- Telecom leased lines
- Telephone system maintenance
- Gas safety certification
- Toilet cleaning, maintenance and consumables
- Kitchen and vending provision
- Refuse management and disposal
- Health and safety compliance
- Water testing
- Pest control
- Reception
- Dilapidations at end of lease
- Office re-fit
Whilst the financial savings are attractive and quantifiable it is less easy to measure the cost of not being able to have ‘water cooler’ conversations with colleagues:
- Fewer problems are solved through an informal chat
- News travels erratically, not all of it true
- Trust takes longer to build but can erode faster
- People feel isolated
- Our shared sense of purpose fades
- Domestic challenges can’t be escaped and encroach more on performance
- We don’t feel part of a team as we used to, studies suggest this can trigger the same responses in the brain as physical pain
Organisations therefore need to:
Budget for activities that rejuvenate a sense of belonging in their staff
Improve meeting protocols to build relationships and generate ideas
Train their managers to support remote workers
Fresh Tracks can help in all of these areas, get in touch to find out how we can help you.
