With many of us back in working-from-home-mode (and many of us never stopped) now’s the perfect time to think about the ways your employer can still help you achieve your work and professional development goals. There may be expenses you can claim for, equipment they can provide, or running costs to cover so read on to get some ideas on how you can work from home in comfort, without incurring too many expenses yourself…
1 HOME OFFICE SET-UP
Many of us won’t be equipped to start working from home straight away so, at the very least, your employer might be able to provide you with a work laptop. Maybe they’ll even go as far as organising an ergonomic desk and chair for you to work at while you’re at home? You can ask if there’s anything available like this to help you create a dedicated workspace at home. Although, I don’t think they’ll stretch to installing a coffee machine!
2 RUNNING COSTS
When you’re self-employed one of the allowable expenses you can include is for your home office. You can either deduct a percentage of your electricity, telephone, wifi costs etc (based on how much you use for your work) or use the ‘simplified home office’ flat rate that the HMRC sets. So, if you’re employed by working from home, it may be worth talking to your employer to see if they would be willing to cover a portion of the bills you incur while carrying out the work. Or maybe they’ll provide you with a work mobile phone to make business calls? If you don’t ask, you’ll never know!
3 TRAVEL EXPENSES
Even though you might be doing your day-to-day admin at home, there may still be times when you need to travel for work. Again, self-eployed people can claim their travel costs as an expense, and I’m sure you’ll be entitled to do the same if you’re travelling for work. If you have a company car but are working from home, using a fuel card might be the easiest way for your employer to cover the cost without you having to spend out your own money first.
4 MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES
All the little things you need in order to carry out your work from home soon add up. Everything from paper and printer ink to a Zoom subscription to carry out meetings is an expense, so don’t be afraid to ask if your employer will be able to cover these extra costs or provide you with some stationary supplies etc.
5 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Even though you’re working from home, there’s no need to miss out on the kind of personal professional development you’d usually have access to at work. In fact, it’s probably easier to take courses that’ll enhance your career right now, as you can attend virtual seminars and take classes online. See if your employer’s usual budget for PPD is available to cover the cost of livestream workshops or online courses.
What other things would you like your employer to help you with while you’re working from home? Have you received any extra assistance from your own employer at this time? Let me know your ideas and experiences in the comments below.
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