Working from Home Policy

Working from Home Policy

The Working from Home Policy does not alter your duties, obligations, responsibilities and/or conditions of employment with Viberts Lawyers unless specifically agreed upon in writing. This Working from Home Policy is available only to those deemed suitable for home working and is at the firm’s sole discretion.

The Working from Home Policy is available for home working on 1 designated day a week and is subject to the following conditions:

Eligibility
Not all work performed by employees at Viberts Lawyers lends itself to remote work. If you are interested in taking advantage of this Policy, please arrange a meeting to speak to Penny Borny, Head of People and Culture who will discuss your responsibilities and obligations and whether your work is conducive to this policy.  New employees will normally be expected to work in the office for their full standard working hours, at least until they have passed their probation. 

This Policy is separate to our Flexible Working Policy and does not affect an employees’ right to apply for Flexible Working. See section 20 of the Employee Handbook for further information.

Designated Workspace
Selected employees are responsible for designating a suitable remote workspace, which is typically a space in the employees’ home (an office, spare bedroom, kitchen table etc.). Without prior permission, work should not be performed outside of the designated workspace. (As an example, working from the beach or a café would not be deemed as a suitable designated workspace). The designated workspace must be kept in a safe condition, free from hazards to the employee and the equipment. Viberts Lawyers will not be liable for any injuries to an employee or any third parties during working hours, or outside of working hours. If, while working from a designated workspace, the employee experiences technical issues with computers or internet access that prevent the employee from working remotely, the employee must notify their Partner immediately. Interruptions to work caused by internet outages may require the employee to work from their regular office space for the remainder of the day, or until the outage is fixed.

Employees working from a designated workspace may, from time to time, be required to come to their usual work site as required by the needs of the business.

Remote Meetings
Employees working from a designated workspace will be expected to attend all essential meetings via video conference or by phone.  Microsoft Teams is our nominated remote conferencing system and should be used where possible, subject to any requirements of a client for example.

Rules and Policies
All Viberts Lawyers’ rules and policies, including those set forth in the firm’s Employee Handbook, apply while working from a designated workspace. These policies include, but are not limited to, policies regarding attendance, health and safety, cyber security and confidentiality.

The firm is not responsible for any expenses related to remote working.

As is always the case when using Viberts Lawyers’ systems, employees working from any designated workspace understand that their system use may be monitored by the firm during their work time.

Designated Work Time
Employees will be expected to follow their regular assigned work schedule. A level of flexibility is available on working from home days but please discuss and agree changes to your normal working hours in advance with your Partner. All arrangements for childcare, elderly care, repair persons, etc. must be arranged so as not to interfere with the employee’s regular work schedule. Whilst a level of flexibility is anticipated, you must ensure that you are contactable and return any missed calls as soon as possible, during the same day. 

Time Keeping
Applicable employees will be required to accurately record all hours worked through our time and billing system ALB. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the immediate termination of the remote working arrangement.

Confidentiality and Security
Employees working remotely are reminded they are bound by any confidentiality and/or security agreements they signed in connection with their employment with Viberts Lawyers and any confidentiality and/or security policies contained in the firms Employee Handbook. Thus, consistent with the firms’ expectations of information security for employees working in the office, remote employees will be expected to ensure the protection of proprietary company and customer information accessible from their home office/designated space. Steps include regular password maintenance, storing files and sensitive information securely and safely, and any other measures appropriate for the job and the environment of the designated workspace.

More information
Any questions regarding this Working from Home Policy may be directed to Penny Borny, Head of People and Culture or Craig Grant, Practice Director.

Procedure
If you are interested in finding out if you are eligible to work from home, please arrange a meeting with Penny Borny, Head of People and Culture who will discuss your role and advise if it is suitable for home working.

If your role is identified as being eligible you will be asked to complete an application form which will state your allocated day for home working. For business continuity and health and safety reasons your allocated day may not be changed without prior approval of the Head of People and Culture.