Working from home agency guidance

Workers are more frequently seeking flexible working arrangements with their employer, particularly working from home. Working from home can enable flexibility and freedom in how workers choose to work, and can help to manage work-life balance, accessibility challenges, and personal commitments.

It can also enable business continuity in unplanned events which prevent workers from coming into the office. However, working from home is different to working in an office and may require additional measures to ensure it is healthy and safe for workers. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, agencies have a duty to ensure workers are not put at risk by the work they do or by their workplace.

If workers are working from home, their home is considered a workplace and agencies have a responsibility to eliminate or minimise the risks so far as reasonably practicable. This guide is designed to support government agencies to take a systematic approach to managing risk to ensure the health and safety, privacy and security of workers working from home.

Looking for COVID-19 specific guidance for managers and workers? Our online working from home during COVID-19 guide has information on putting a plan in place to manage health and safety risks while working from home.

The State Services Commission has developed guidance on inclusion while working remotely. Take a look at their Ensuring Inclusion for Everyone guide(external link).

If you have any queries, please contact the GHSL team at ghsl@mpi.govt.nz.