Any employers supporting WFH costs?

[Lochroy]

It seems like WFH is set to last and winter is coming... are any employers doing anything to contribute to the costs they would normally be facing if employees were in the office? I work for a huge corporation with an office which is completely shut. Business is carrying on as normal.

FWIW, I don't have an expensive commute so not really saving there. I think it's costing me to WFH.

Things I have in mind are:

• Electricity (laptop and screen on all day, work phone charging, kettle boiling )
• Heating - will become a biggie
• Subsidised lunch canteen (sounds fancy, it's pretty basic but part of our Ts and Cs)
• Water (both drinking water and toilet flushing!)
• plus some random others - I've had to do a little printing so that's my paper and ink, etc.

I know some of these sound flippant, but it's been six months already and it will really add up once heating comes into the mix.

I'm aware you can claim £6/week tax relief but I don't do a tax return so that would be complex to do.

Have any employers in similar situations started to support employees in this respect?

I think this is going to be more of an issue. I'm freelance so not for me as I pay for it all anyway. There is an agreed rate for use of home as work space which you can take off tax return. I think it's £26 a month. But I wonder if employers need to start thinking like this with a flat rate? I know some people will jsut be greatful for a job and will save by working at home but equally it will cause difficulties for some

Yes I'm conscious it's a very specific situation and it goes without saying I'm grateful to still be working.

Can you claim some printer ink on expenses?
I know that's a drop in the ocean but it is the principle.

I'm not covered but I think WiFi should be - my home data usage has gone through the roof. It'd be beneficial If only to ensure everyone has a good home connection, so much time lost trying to connect or waiting for others who're struggling.

I think apart from the heating, the costs are so trivial they're not worth bothering about.

Tech doesn't cost much to run and its still likely to be cheaper to eat at home than from a subsidised canteen.

To be honest, there's going to be so many people out of work that if you can WFH and keep your job on full pay, you're one of the fortunate ones and its probably best to not be that person.

There's a form to complete to claim the WFH allowance, it's only worth about £60 a year if you're a basic rate tax payer or £120 if you're a higher rate tax payer, so it's definitely worth spending a few minutes filling a form in to gain £60+.

I didn't mention wifi as I already have an unrestricted package, but certainly it will apply to some.

I forgot loo roll!

I doubt I'd get an expense claim for ink signed off as it wasn't that much printing, it's just another thing on the list!

Don't most people have wifi at home and use data for streaming anyway? General office work on top won't make much difference.

The place I’m working is but sadly I’m not entitled to it as I’m a contractor 🙈

They’re making a £200 per year payment I believe.

The other week I had to transfer 3GB. It took forever.

Agree with everything you've said @BarbaraofSeville and I dare say the company are well aware people won't resign over it so they don't need to do anything, I was just curious in case any were?

I'll look for the form, it sounds easier than a full tax return, thank you.

I have been wondering this. I was hoping work would give some guidelines but not yet. I already have to do a tax return to pay back the child benefit because i am just above threshold. But this year, it will only be a fraction, won't it - from March onwards - so actually only 1 month.....multiple devices, power heavy online sessions - we noticed yesterday that a device used for conferencing lost about half its power in a one hour session. Soon, as university teacher, I will be doing that day after day. The electricity must add up to something....(and as I used to walk to work and take in packed lunch - not exactly saving elsewhere)

My role had always been home based. Work provide my lap top and printer. Land line and WiFi. I can claim expenses for stationary. Ink etc.

You can claim £26 a month tax rebate. Which covers extra heating etc. And the lack of commute is an additional benefit.

Someone I work with put in an expenses claim for a £2 notebook.

Given that my company is cutting costs all over the place and we have just been through the first round of redundancies and pay cuts, I can't see them making a WFH payment.

My company has given everyone chair, desk, printer and ink, laptop but also a large monitor that the laptop can link up with. Headphones etc.

They are also paying a wfh payment of £45 per month.

These measures were already in place anyway for any employee that usually works from home so it hasn’t been difficult to role out to all staff members.

Meh, some of your post is reasonable but most is petty. Charging your work phone - doesn't everyone do that at home? Wouldn't cross my mind to try and claim expenses off the NHS for charging my flipping work phone.

The only thing that was reasonable was ink costs - obviously you need work to reimburse that or post you out the printed documents.

Kettle, toilet, not getting your lunch subsidy! Come on! So many businesses are going under, it is such bad taste to moan about that in the current climate.

Believe me, many of us would have given anything to get to work from home during lockdown! I am sure someone would happily take your job and not complain about loo roll.

The tax relief thing.....you don't need to do a tax return.

I'm PAYE and filled in an online form yesterday.

I'll have to do it again at the end of the year as it wants number of weeks but that's fine.

Unless your employment contract has changed you're unlikely to be able to claim anything from your employer.

I agree that for some people it may cost a bit more to work form home. However I think most people will save money- public transport costs or parking & car costs, cost of “office” clothing, which may not be needed, it’s much cheaper to make food at home than buy, even in a subsidised canteen. Plus the extra time you have as you aren’t commuting.

You’ve also forgotten that many companies are struggling and although you aren’t in the office they will still be paying the rents on those offices!

Are you serious, you really think your workplace should be paying you for your toilet roll usage and kettle boiling?

I think the only reasonable expense you mentioned is the printing. And you could claim the tax relief to cover that.

I'm not moaning and I haven't forgotten about anything. The reality of my industry is that everyone can work from home and business continues uninterrupted. I will look to take the tax help if I'm entitled to it, but I am not actively looking to claim anything else. However, as it occurs to me, there are a variety of costs which will be adding up and which will increase once home heating is required, so I was curious as to what other employers in similar situations were doing, if anything, which I think is what I asked in the OP.

No, but i'm in the process of submitting the tax claim.
People keep saying the costs are offset by the savings on commuting but i guess that depends how much you normally spend commuting, i'm not sure my petrol costs are more than the cost of heating will be throughout the winter.
Water doesn't affect me as we're not on a meter and we don't have a canteen, but we do get tea / coffee provided in the office and can't believe how often I have to keep buying it!

My desk takes up room in my home, I didn't want or ask my personal space to be used in this way and I intensely dislike the assumption that a business can think they have claims on it.

Its especially galling that they are making long term plans to reduce office working, making a saving doing so, and happily adjusting my contract without a by your leave.

Employers will push for as much as they can get away with and it's an employers market.

It’s an issue that isn’t going to be finally resolved in the middle of a pandemic.

Policy will be developed in relation to sectors and entire workforce. In a lot of cases the workforce is saving on commuting and the employer on office costs(not entirely in a lot of cases as these can be fixed in the short term).

We as staff could push for some costs to be covered but employers could rightfully argue over reduction in cost of living for most people. They will give and the take.

My employer will contribute up to £300 for large screens etc.

However, not for me, because I joined on the basis that I would be working from home anyway.

I haven’t asked, because I’d feel like a right dickhead doing so, but my employer is not offering anything and it’s definitely costing me more WFH.

Not one penny of support here from my employer.