Landlords banning WFH: What does this mean for employers?

A new report suggests more landlords than ever before are imposing bans on working from home on their tenants. Whether it’s due to insurance or other reasons, such as consideration of other tenants, this could have a significant impact on both employees and employers. But how?

Kate Palmer, Employment Services Director at Peninsula, says that for some businesses, the days of having a physical base are gone because all their employees work from home. For other businesses, remote working may be something that they will need to consider more about in the future.

“This is because one of the pledges that the new government has made is that they plan to make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, except where it is not reasonably feasible.

“Remote working usually equates to working from home. However, if an employee is prevented from working from home because their landlord has banned them from doing so, then this could cause issues. How an employer chooses to handle the situation will likely depend on the circumstances.

“Much will turn on the type of work that the individual carries out and whether alternatives could be considered. Could the employee reasonably work out of an alternative location like a shared space, coffee shop, or bar?

“This could be a non-starter for some roles, where concerns over confidentiality may mean that working where others outside of the organisation can hear and see them poses a risk to the business. There could also be concerns that working out of an environment where there are distractions is not conducive to maintaining productivity. But it will be for employers to fully consider based on the specific situation.

“One thing is for sure, this is a subject that’s guaranteed to continue generating conversation and headlines in the months to come, and one that employers cannot ignore.”