Page 4 | Any employers supporting WFH costs?

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 01/10/2020 17:13

@Stealthmama

Yes my employer is paying £25 per month and has shipped any office equipment needed directly to your home including desks and chairs.

We were told we could take whatever we needed from the office. Someone suggested I take a chair as I have a back problem. I ended up buying a lumbar support and cushion for my dining chair as I haven't got a hope of getting an office chair in my car!

stealthmama · 01/10/2020 21:24

Yes - the office chairs are so flipping big I declined and bought one from Ikea myself!

We were discussing again today the reality of this is for at least another year. Companies might have to start thinking about subsidence if they're not paying it already.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 01/10/2020 23:54

I’ve got an MX5 so can barely fit a ream of paper in the boot, let alone a chair! We’ve also had new flooring in the living room and I didn’t want the chair rolling back and forth on it.

Vivana · 02/10/2020 00:16

I don't wfh but know a few people who do and none of them are getting any help. I think people wfh should get help and bills have been rising because of this

BameChange123 · 02/10/2020 03:15

i am saving about £15 week in bus and team costs by not commuting. I probably spend £5 a week on extra tea, coffee and milk. I will check our metered water bill for the past 6 months when it arrives at the end of this month. We have solar powered electricity and hot water so our energy costs have been minimal so far but will go up when it is wintry. Will dig out small (0.6kw) oil filled radiator (Aldi special) for boosting heat in kitchen office. Am going to calculate carbon footprint too. Saving a 90 minute commute. Employer bought a £150 chair and printer. Have gone through 2 phone charger cables and 3 sets of headphones! Apparently there is a £6/week employee fund for those who are financially impacted by wfh but I will probably claim p87 tax route if bills become higher. OH is missing his subsidised canteen and work gym so he is having more showers at home now.
I don't like the way work intrudes on our home space and my work clutter is a source of stress for my OH who is a neat freak!

Malin52 · 02/10/2020 03:37

My employer have provided a Large screen and chair . Mouse and additional keyboard sent

They have also made a £250 payment for home working costs. Although I'm saving. £150 a month by not running the car/public transport.

Large corporate.

SoloMummy · 02/10/2020 09:48

@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?

The £6 is simply a form. That "contributes" to your electricity, gas and water. Not a lot, but obviously a contribution and I've tthencourse of the year is £312 which added to what you do save in commuting is a saving. The heating - I use a hot water bottle a lot and sometimes blanket. I try to have the heating on a timer, so that it's not on all day OR have the thermostat set at 16.so.only kicks in constantly when it is cold. I use layers. Always have a spare cardigan on my work chair and occasionally a fleece blanket too. Socks are a must? I have a colleague who wears fingerless gloves too become a biggie Subsidised lunch = I really don't see how 2 Slices of bread and cheese can really cost you more than your subsidised lunches. I find preparing my lunch when I make school lunches is best or having what I will eat "allocated" and planned for. The printing - I would request a printer OR put your ink cartridges and paper through as expenses. All organisations should have a policy.

I have worked from home permanently the last few years.

SoloMummy · 02/10/2020 09:50

Also, they should do a hse assessment for your desk and chair etc. Providing monitors etc.
You should also be able to purchase the equipment via expenses but with caveats about how much you repay if you leave within certain time periods.

SBTLove · 02/10/2020 09:51

Are people serious about wfh costs? that’s the definition of tight.
You’re saving on travel, lunches, work clothes, starting to sound like MPs who claim for 5p paperclips, wanting paid for everything 🙄

RedskyAtnight · 02/10/2020 10:01

@SBTLove

Are people serious about wfh costs? that’s the definition of tight. You’re saving on travel, lunches, work clothes, starting to sound like MPs who claim for 5p paperclips, wanting paid for everything 🙄

My savings: Travel = 0 (walk to work) Work clothes = 0 (just wear normal clothes, also wear them at home) lunches = 0 (took packed lunch)

If you're on a tight budget then having to pay unexpected extra costs is a problem - it doesn't make you tight.
And in my company it's the people on tight budgets that are making zero savings from working from home. The well paid managers are doing well out of it.

WhentheDealGoesDown1 · 02/10/2020 10:12

I think a lot of people don't realise that many just walk to work and wear their normal clothes, I never had special clothes for work, so are not really saving anything. Many have lost the proper use of a room in their house and will get higher heating costs for no other gain.

Kaylia76 · 02/10/2020 10:13

The tax man covers this, you need to claim online. I got my tax code changed to cover it

BarbaraofSeville · 02/10/2020 10:14

Have gone through 2 phone charger cables and 3 sets of headphones

Seriously, how? I've never had to replace any items like this, although one of my foster kittens has bitten through the cable on my headset, I don't think I can ask my employer to replace this.

It still works, but if it stops, I'm going to try using my wireless ear buds instead.

I can understand people who walk to work feeling aggrieved that they're not making any savings by WFH, but the fact is that people don't generally choose to live a long way from where they work and it's likely that they either can't find a job near where they live, or can't afford to live near their workplace.

If you've already been able to find a job within walking distance of your home, or can afford to live near your workplace, you've already been in good position, because that's a luxury that's not accessible to many people.

Original poster

Lochroy · 02/10/2020 10:22

Really interesting to see how varied the support is. Some seems incredibly generous!

I said in my OP many of the costs were flippant - petty if you prefer - and aside from the £6 I'm not actively looking to claim more but whilst many business are struggling, many are not and it's of interest how they are responding.

Yes the costs may be minimal per person, but x800 people in the building it will be adding up quite significantly. All the money being saved is going straight into profit back to shareholders. And actually now I've written it like that, I'm a bit more irritated! Why should I effectively be taking a disposable income hit, no matter how small? I might have to go an start and AIBU for a proper vent

OP posts:

Scarby9 · 02/10/2020 10:23

They have just agreed to buy us microphones (£4-£6 on Amazon?) for the endless Zooming.
Everything else - furniture, laptop, phone - is my own.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 02/10/2020 10:33

I’m shocked at how many companies expect people to use their own laptops. Isn’t this a security issue? What if people don’t have a laptop, not everyone does - DH only has an iPad and I know a few other people like that

NoSleepInTheHeat · 02/10/2020 11:50

Loo roll, water to drink and to flush the toilet, electricity for boiling the kettle... do you really think your employer should pay for these??

Wifi, printing equipement, desk chair etc could make sense depending on the role.

Heating I would say is a grey area, but even if they were to pay for it surely it would only cover one room of the house, during working hours and at a reasonably low temperature.

NoSleepInTheHeat · 02/10/2020 12:01

I can understand people who walk to work feeling aggrieved that they're not making any savings by WFH
More jealous than aggrieved...

Anyway, I don't believe people really don't save anything.

Clothes/make up: even if your dress code is casual at work, you still have to wash clothes more often if you go outside than if you stay inside, don't you? No wear and tear on shoes, coats, handbags, umbrellas...
Packed lunches: no wear and tear on your packed lunch containers, no need for disposable napkins, less washing up. No occasional 'forgot my packed lunch' and have to buy on site. Plus most people who take packed lunches still occasionally buy snacks/desert/drinks on site.
I'm sure I can find others!

I know these are pennies, but similar to employer having to pay for loo roll or drinking water from the tap...

RedskyAtnight · 02/10/2020 12:14

NoSleep

You're really clutching at straws now! I'm washing clothes the same amount I always did, and as I wear my shoes until they fall to bits, I suspect I might be saving at most a fiver a year on wear and tear. Actually I'm wearing more clothes round the house to keep warm, so I may well have more wear on tear on clothes.

I've never bought a packed lunch container (just use an empty ice cream tub). I don't ever forget my packed lunch and I physically don't take money to work so can't spend on extras. And I don't use disposable napkins! I don't have less washing up (actually I probably have more) as I still eat lunch - just off a plate rather than out of a box.

I'm not interested in loo roll by the sheet, but concerned about winter heating bills (the heating is normally off all day until about 6pm).

I am aggrieved that people who are saving loads on commuting are making facetious comments like yours. If you previously had a long commute, that's because you chose to live where you did in relation to work. Working from home is not something I've chosen.

NoSleepInTheHeat · 02/10/2020 12:44

@RedskyAtnight
You're really clutching at straws now I know... sorry I didn't mean it in a malicious way. I think it is the loo roll/tap water requests that tipped me over the edge.

Seriously, I really believe a large majority is saving some money or at least breaking even. A small minority will save a lot, a small minority will have a little bit more expenses.

Asking for wifi/equipement to be paid for is fair enough, maybe a winter allowance to heat a room during the day, but if everybody starts claiming every single thing they can think about it just makes the whole thing a farce.

Wakeoff · 02/10/2020 12:51

Have you asked yet OP? Only way to know really, it seems extremely varied across companies, and I guess neither is right or wrong depending on circumstance. If they're not struggling financially then there should be a way to access funds to support homeworking imo, not everyone who is working from home is in a high paid job with loads of spare cash to pay for the extra costs; just like some aren't actually saving money not going into work.

DarkMintChocolate · 02/10/2020 13:09

Asking for wifi/equipement to be paid for is fair enough, maybe a winter allowance to heat a room during the day, but if everybody starts claiming every single thing they can think about it just makes the whole thing a farce.

Not only that, employers in areas like Central London with many commuters, may turn round and reduce salaries to reflect the savings on commute costs. Where we live, a season ticket is around £3,600 pa and parking costs at the station/car parks £30 per week. Employees claiming for light, heat, telephone, etc may find themselves worse off, if their employers cut their salaries by £420 pcm regarding savings on travel costs in return.

Ellsbells12 · 02/10/2020 13:32

@DarkMintChocolate

Asking for wifi/equipement to be paid for is fair enough, maybe a winter allowance to heat a room during the day, but if everybody starts claiming every single thing they can think about it just makes the whole thing a farce.

Not only that, employers in areas like Central London with many commuters, may turn round and reduce salaries to reflect the savings on commute costs. Where we live, a season ticket is around £3,600 pa and parking costs at the station/car parks £30 per week. Employees claiming for light, heat, telephone, etc may find themselves worse off, if their employers cut their salaries by £420 pcm regarding savings on travel costs in return.

Exactly me too so I keeping quite not that it ever thought of it

BarbaraofSeville · 02/10/2020 14:13

Not only that, employers in areas like Central London with many commuters, may turn round and reduce salaries to reflect the savings on commute costs. Where we live, a season ticket is around £3,600 pa and parking costs at the station/car parks £30 per week. Employees claiming for light, heat, telephone, etc may find themselves worse off, if their employers cut their salaries by £420 pcm regarding savings on travel costs in return

Going forward, they may also drop London weighting/salaries for new employees, because you don't need to live anywhere near the office.

It will be a lot cheaper for them to pay a salary that allows some to live in Leeds, Manchester etc and expenses when they need to visit the office. Even if this is a couple of times a month, it will be cheaper than having to pay thousands more each year because they need to attract people paying London living costs or SE plus commutting.

Wakeoff · 02/10/2020 14:19

Well yes, they will drop London weighting if they can because they can, rather than because some people ask if they can have help towards WFH costs.