# Working from home Official source: https://www.employment.govt.nz/fair-work-practices/flexible-work/working-from-home Scanned: 2026-06-07T03:31:31.402Z Use this as a current official guidance reference, not as a substitute for legal advice. ## Page Text Home Fair work practices Flexible working Working from home Flexible working Fair work practices Workplace policies and procedures Employee privacy Restructuring and workplace change Unions and bargaining Ethical and sustainable work practices COVID-19 in the workplace Pay and gender equity Flexible working Types of flexible work Asking for flexible working arrangements Responding to a flexible working request Working from home Everyone Working from home What to consider when employees are working from home some or all of the time. Employment agreement If an employee Any person, whatever their age, who is employed by an employer to do any work for hire or reward under a ‘contract of service’ (commonly called an ‘employment agreement’). is permanently changing their place of work, their employer An individual or organisation that hires 1 or more employees and contracts them to work in exchange for wages or salary under a ‘contract of service’ (commonly called an ‘employment agreement’). should update their employment agreement A written document setting out the terms and conditions of employment agreed by the employer and employee (also known as a ‘contract of service’). It can include other contractual documents and agreements made by the employer and employee. Every employee must have a written employment agreement. to reflect this. Employment agreements Equipment and expenses Employers should consider whether employees need any equipment to work from home effectively, for example, laptops, screens, headsets or office furniture. Employers can choose to: supply this equipment ask the employee to provide it themselves provide an allowance Extra payments paid to an employee to cover employment-related expenses, for example, a reimbursement, something specific related to the job (like a night-shift allowance), or in recognition of extra skills that they bring to the job. for it. There is no specific legal entitlement to allowances. If employers choose to offer an allowance, when it will be paid and how much is up to them to agree with the employee. Paying for general utilities like electricity, gas, water and smoke detectors is generally the employee's responsibility. Employers may choose to reimburse work calls if the employee is using a personal phone. Benefits and allowances Equipment, vehicles and clothing Health and safety Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees. This includes their employees who are working from home. Employees also have responsibilities under HSWA. Health and safety guidance about working from home can be found on the WorkSafe website. Working from home – WorkSafe (external link) Employees who regularly work from home might be at risk of social isolation. Employers should make sure employees have plenty of opportunities to stay connected with colleagues — for example, by regularly spending time in the office or having regular catchups by phone, email or video call. Security and privacy Employers might need to set up extra security for employees who are working from home, for example, using remote login tokens or specific work devices. Employers who are considering monitoring their employees while they’re working at home must comply with their obligations under the Privacy Act 2020. Employee Privacy Published: 11 March 2024 Last modified: 25 August 2025 Written for: Everyone Share this page: Print this page: