To expect my work to pay for broadband and other wfh expenses?

[Zazzii]

Since last March like many of us I have been working from home - I have a work laptop and phone and use our spare room. I had always worked the odd day at home when it was convenient for wating in for deliveries/ appointments etc but only once or twice a month. I, and line manager etc, were happy with this but it was seen as a bit of a perk

Now that working from home is established as the 'new normal' is it wrong for me to expect my employer to cover my broadband costs? They dont seem inclined to give us anything telling us that as we have it already there is no increased costs for us of using it for an additional 7 hours a day.

It is vital for the business that we are connected therefore the cost should be met by the business. Plans from teh summer are for us to continue working from home at least for part of the week so it will be long term.

I undertsand that they dont want to get involved in discussions about individual broadband contracts etc but a standard amount for all staff - say £30 a month?, £40?- should be part of our expenses claim. Or do I need to accept it as part of the new way of working?

Then there are other expenses which I have incurred over the past year - bigger things like the heating and electricity during the day but also small things like the coffee, tea and other refreshments I would normally expect to have at work which I have had to pay for.

I havent reduced any costs in other areas - my commute is 2 miles by bike so negilible cost and time saving.

Am I being unreasonable? Would it be unreasonable to try and rally my fellow workers to ask for this?

@dontdisturbmenow For those who expect extra pay towards for extra costs of working for home

Extra pay? I think you mean reimbursement for work-related expenses.

Such reimbursements, where they represent an accurate return of costs incurred, should not be getting taxed by HMRC.

The UK's attitude towards employees is positively antiquated.

@dontdisturbmenow

For those who expect extra pay towards for extra costs of working for home, are you saying that you'd jump at the chance to go back to the office if offered?

Somehow I bet not for most. They just want their cake and eat it.

I would jump at the chance! I'd have a proper, full sized desk, a decent chair and a change of scenery!

But it's not up to the employer where I live. I could live a 2 minute walk away or a 1 hour train away, that's up to me and it's not the employers responsibility.

I left a role in 2008 - mainly because the 1 hour/day (average, it could sometimes be 2) journey to the office was too much plus the fact that every tuppence on petrol was another £5/month. When we were sifting through the applicants for my replacement, my boss told the agency not to send candidates with more than an hours commute. So where an employee lives may not be the employers responsibility. But it's certainly their business.

Most heating systems are on a timer so you just set the timer for the morning and then again after work going off at roughly bedtime. So yes most people turn off heating during day but do it automatically. I would say vast majority of people do this.

But it's not up to the employer where I live. I could live a 2 minute walk away or a 1 hour train away, that's up to me and it's not the employers responsibility.

Utter nonsense. Most people can't live within a 2 minute walk of their workplace no matter how much they want to.

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

But it's not up to the employer where I live. I could live a 2 minute walk away or a 1 hour train away, that's up to me and it's not the employers responsibility.

Utter nonsense. Most people can't live within a 2 minute walk of their workplace no matter how much they want to.

You're nitpicking now and ignoring my overall point. Which is, regardless of I live, I don't think it's my employer's responsibility to pay for me to get to my workplace.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I'm not nitpicking; I'm pointing out that your logic is inconsistent.

For those who expect extra pay towards for extra costs of working for home, are you saying that you'd jump at the chance to go back to the office if offered?

My DH would. He is hating WFH.
I've always WFH 2 days a week and would like to get back to that kind of balance.

me too. Wfh doesn't really agree with me. I used to enjoy the quiet time during my commute, and I miss having a clear separation between office time and home time. It's a bit like being back at school or university - always feeling a bit guilty about any time not spent working.

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

I'm not nitpicking; I'm pointing out that your logic is inconsistent.

Agree to disagree 👍

I am getting more benefits from working from home than what it is costing me.
I haven't put the heating on until later in the afternoon most days.
I do get free tea, coffee, hot chocolate ( or milk shake or juice at work) as well as biscuits and cake. I still have coffee but it hasn't done me any harm cutting down on snacks and sweets.

I have the convivence of sticking the washing on in the middle of the day or getting the basics of tea ready and getting small jobs done on what would have been break time. There's no sneaking around about it, everyone is up front about doing bits of stuff between calls, meetings and reports.

Work is only 10 mins drive away ( I need the car for my job) but parking is an absolute nightmare so it is saving a fortune of car parking costs.
I do most of my work on my laptop on my knee in my living room ( or sometimes if I want an early start in bed- No one is looking at me while I type case notes up at 05.30hrs!)

I'm quite happy to use my broad band for these benefits. I do realise that not everyone is in the same boat.

Staff at my place have the option of asking for more hours in the office or less. They just have to let the manager know so that he can do a plan each week so we can keep to the number of people we are allowed into the building within the guidelines.

Once covid is over, there's going to be a lot of movement of people changing jobs as it will cause a mis-match now that the cat is out of the bag re WFH.

Some employees will want to WFH, some will want a return to the office, some will want a mix. Likewise some employers will want all their staff back in, some will want them all to WFH and some will want a mix. Add in to that, some employers will provide better support for their staff working from home, some won't.

Pre covid, there was an equilibrium of people matching their employers. Now people have changed, employers have changed. A new equilibrium will need to be reached, and that means a lot of staff will find their working preferences don't match their employer's preferences, hence a large number of people leaving one job and finding a job that meets their preferences more closely. If an employer can't find enough staff, then they'll have to change their way of working. If an employee can't find a suitable job, likewise they'll have to adapt to what jobs are available as alternatives to the job they already have.

We could easily see several years of flux in the job market as employees/employers find that equilibrium again.

Don’t you save on your commute?

@Notavegan - nope. I walk to/from work. It doesn’t cost anything. Well, perhaps wear and tear on shoes - but as I’m doing more steps WFH than I was in the office that cost hasn’t gone down either.

Won’t they allow you back in the office at all??

[quote HainaultViaNewburyPark]@Notavegan - nope. I walk to/from work. It doesn’t cost anything. Well, perhaps wear and tear on shoes - but as I’m doing more steps WFH than I was in the office that cost hasn’t gone down either.[/quote]

So you wear your shoes all day in the house?

@londonscalling - yes. Otherwise my feet would be very cold and I’d be spending even more on gas/electricity. (I wear the same clothes I’d wear in the office too).

[quote GreenlandTheMovie]**@dontdisturbmenow For those who expect extra pay towards for extra costs of working for home

Extra pay? I think you mean reimbursement for work-related expenses.

Such reimbursements, where they represent an accurate return of costs incurred, should not be getting taxed by HMRC.

The UK's attitude towards employees is positively antiquated.[/quote]
Except if you are an MP - then you an get lots of tax free expenses not allowed for the rest of us.

I like the drive to work and the drive home! It’s less than half an hour and it’s the only time I am alone ever at the moment.

@MrsEWeatherwax

I like the drive to work and the drive home! It’s less than half an hour and it’s the only time I am alone ever at the moment.

It was a great way to catch podcasts etc ...

It seems every time there is a thread on this people are aghast that you feel shortchanged by working from home. We are generally better off, because of the commute, but if we had walked or cycled we wouldn't be. I don't feel comfortable with large scale employers being better off because I'm WFH. If it's long term, they need to offer reimbursement. If short term, a small bonus would be appropriate.

I wfh as my norm.
Historically, going back 20 odd years, many wfh employers did pay for Internet as it was then. I don't now know any that do.
So yes I think that yabu. It's a cost you either choose to absorb or look for alternative work in effect.

These perks you mention, loo roll (Wtf), tea, pastries are all perks that are not contractual and you've simply been lucky.

Real expenses such as postage, etc obviously should be refunded.

You get your wfh allowance via hmrc.

You are probably the minority in not gaining from wfh in your mind. But you do have a choice if you find the conditions of your maintaining a job throughout the pandemic too much, look elsewhere.

I'm just grateful I have a job, haven't once been furloughed, can get my household chores done when I want to in the day (work evenings if I have to, nothing else to do), can go for a run at lunch or a walk with my husband or friend. I take my DS to school instead of breakfast club.
But basically, I'm just happy I've kept a job when so many people have struggled.
My gas/elec and water bill have increased yes, but we are all healthy, safe and employed

These threads are always filled with indignant "but you're saving on your commute" comments...
Not everyone commutes, lots of people work in the town they live in. Certainly everyone I know travels no further than 20min/10mile by car for work. MN is so London-centric at times it's unreal.

As much as I can barely believe people spend hundreds or thousands of pounds a year travelling to and from work, because it is so far removed from anything/anyone I know here in the SW ... I do know that it is a real thing, it doesn't seem to work the other way though.

I work for a local government authority, 11 mile round trip that I was doing twice a week pre covid, negligible fuel cost, no parking costs, no wanky designer coffee costs, no lunch costs, I wore my normal clothes to work and I still wear them at home so no different.

My energy bills have rocketed this past year where my 21yr old daughter and I have been WFH full time. Our local gov has already rented office space to a number of organisations, I'm in no doubt that more (if not most) office space will follow and many departments will face WFH permanently. The council have a responsibility to not only cut costs but to generate income wherever possible particularly after covid creating such a large financial deficit.

I understand the difficulties they face but at the same time I am definitely out of pocket and will continue to be indefinitely.

lots of people work in the town they live in. Certainly everyone I know travels no further than 20min/10mile by car for work

I live less than 10 miles from my office by car but I'm still saving 90 minutes a day by not driving there, and at least £50 a month on fuel so hardly negligible. Utilities might be have gone up £20 a month but a good portion of that is due to increased prices not higher usage.