Due to a push in work-life balance amongst the workplace, the increasing ease of technology and flexible working arrangements with business owners/managers lately, it is becoming more and more common for employees to work full or part-time from their own home. So if your answer is “yes” or “not yet, but I’m considering it”, it would be beneficial to think about some of the potential risks and issues involved with employees who work from home. Following this, the consideration of small business insurance to ensure your employee and your business is covered for a range of factors would also be a good idea. So, allow us to outline a little about employees who work from home, some of the benefits/risks involved and what small business insurance can cover you for.
Why might my employee work from home?
If your employee has worked with you for over 12 months, current fair work agreements state that it’s eligible for them to request a flexible working arrangement if they meet certain criteria. For instance, if they are a carer, are over 55 years old, they have a disability or a number of other factors. Even if they don’t meet these requirements though, working from home can be a very productive situation for your business and the employee, depending on the circumstances. Of course, it’s important to consider if the person is suited to working from home and won’t spend their unsupervised days being a couch potato in front of the telly, or, overdoing themselves and working till all hours of the morning. At the end of the day, it has working from home has to equally benefit both you and the employee.
What insurance would I need?
As we mentioned above, it’s a good idea to start with Small Business Insurance should you have an employee working from home. There are three main insurance factors to consider with at-home employees: injury to an employee, injury to a customer (if applicable – they may see clients in their home as part of their work) and damage or theft of property and equipment. Small Business Insurance can cover these factors, but it’s important to also have Worker’s Compensation in place as well. Getting advice from your broker as to exactly what you should be covered for – and how much – is a really good idea, as having insurance in place is not only legally compulsory, but a huge weight off your shoulders should something go wrong.
To help ensure you have the right Small Business Insurance in place, call Elliott Insurance Brokers today on 1300 635 315 and speak to one of our experienced brokers in Perth.
