All employees have the legal right to request flexible working, including flexible start and finish times or working from home. This is referred to as ‘making a statutory application’.

Employees must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks to be eligible.

According to the HSE, employers are required to protect the health, safety, and welfare of employees who are homeworkers. Employers should carry out a homeworker’s risk assessment and take appropriate measures.

Remote work might be impossible for some roles and organisations. Employers can refuse an application if they have a good reason for doing so.

Reasons an employer can reject an application include:

• Additional costs.
• Physically not being able to undertake the work from home.
• Being unable to reorganise work amongst staff.
• A lack of work during the proposed working times.

The health and safety considerations for home workers should be the same or very similar to those in the workplace.

Things to consider for home workers include mental health issues, workstation set-up and working environment.