Must employees be available during normal working hours when working remotely?

Usually, employees must be available during agreed working hours, unless flexible working arrangements or other terms have been approved by the employer.

How should sickness absence be handled during remote or hybrid working?

Employees should record and report sickness absence in line with the employer’s normal absence procedure, even if they are working from home.

Can employees use personal devices for remote work?

Only if the employer permits it. Employees should not use personal devices for work unless authorised and should follow all IT, security, and data protection requirements.

Can an employer require a hybrid worker to attend the office?

Employees may need to attend the workplace when required, such as for meetings, training, performance reviews, collaboration days, or operational reasons, depending on the employer’s policy.

What should employees do if remote working arrangements are not working well?

Employees should raise any issues with their manager promptly, such as unsuitable workspace, equipment problems, connectivity issues, caring conflicts, or difficulties meeting work expectations.

How can employees maintain confidentiality when working from home?

Employees must keep business information confidential by working in a private area where possible, securing documents and devices, locking screens, and avoiding work discussions where others can overhear.

Can employers monitor employees who work remotely?

Yes. Employers may monitor work activity where it is lawful, proportionate, transparent, and consistent with UK data protection and employment law requirements.

EN-GB>Governance>Remote and Hybrid Working Policy>UK Employee Remote And Hybrid Work Responsibilities

Employee Responsibilities In Remote And Hybrid Working In The United Kingdom

Created: 10 Jun 2026

Understand key employee duties for remote and hybrid work in the United Kingdom, from communication and data security to health and safety. This guidance supports a clear, compliant AI Generated Remote and Hybrid Working Policy for use in the United Kingdom.

Employee Responsibility	Expected Employee Action	Reporting Requirement	Frequency	Non-Compliance Impact
Availability and Communication
Be contactable during agreed working hours	Monitor agreed channels and respond within reasonable timescales.	Report any period when unavailable during working hours.	Daily	Medium
Keep work calendar and status updated	Record meetings, focus time, leave, and location accurately.	Notify the manager of diary conflicts affecting availability.	Daily	Low
Attend virtual meetings on time	Join scheduled calls prepared and with suitable audio and video where required.	Tell the organiser promptly if delayed or unable to attend.	As Needed	Low
Work Location
Attend the workplace on agreed days	Work from the office or other required site on assigned hybrid days.	Request approval before changing an agreed office day.	Weekly	Medium
Attend in person when reasonably required	Attend meetings, training, supervision, client work, or team events when instructed.	Raise any genuine difficulty with attendance as early as possible.	As Needed	Medium
Work only from approved locations	Use the home, office, or other locations approved by the employer.	Seek approval before working from a different address or public location.	On Change of Circumstances	High
Get approval before working abroad	Do not work overseas unless prior written approval has been given.	Report destination, dates, duties, immigration status, and contact details.	As Needed	High
Notify changes to home working address	Keep the employer informed of the address used for remote work.	Report any move or regular change of remote working address.	On Change of Circumstances	Medium
Health and Safety
Maintain a suitable remote workspace	Work in a safe, quiet, and appropriate space with suitable lighting and seating.	Report any home working hazards or unsuitable conditions.	Daily	High
Complete workstation risk assessments	Complete DSE or homeworking assessments honestly and follow control measures.	Report unresolved risks, discomfort, or missing equipment.	On Change of Circumstances	High
Take regular screen breaks	Break up prolonged screen work with changes of activity or short pauses.	Report if workload prevents reasonable breaks from screen work.	Daily	Medium
Report work-related pain or discomfort	Tell the manager promptly about pain linked to remote working equipment or set-up.	Report symptoms, equipment issues, and any urgent need for adjustment.	As Needed	High
Keep emergency contact details current	Maintain accurate contact details for emergency and welfare purposes.	Report changes to emergency contact or personal contact details.	On Change of Circumstances	Medium
Report remote working accidents	Report accidents, injuries, or dangerous occurrences connected with work.	Notify the manager immediately and follow accident reporting procedures.	As Needed	High
Working Time
Record working time accurately	Record hours worked, breaks, overtime, and leave using required systems.	Report errors or missing time records promptly.	Daily	High
Do not exceed working time limits	Manage hours within legal and contractual limits unless a valid opt-out applies.	Report workloads likely to cause excessive hours.	Weekly	High
Take required rest breaks	Take daily, weekly, and in-shift rest breaks as required.	Report if duties prevent proper rest breaks.	Daily	High
Get approval before working overtime	Do not work extra hours unless authorised under company rules.	Request approval before overtime or time off in lieu is incurred.	As Needed	Medium
Follow sickness absence reporting rules	Do not work when unfit and follow absence notification procedures.	Notify sickness absence by the required time and provide fit notes when required.	As Needed	Medium
Book annual leave in advance	Request and record annual leave through the approved process.	Report unrecorded leave or leave clashes promptly.	As Needed	Medium
Confidentiality and Security
Protect confidential information	Keep business, client, employee, and trade information secure and private.	Report any suspected unauthorised access or disclosure immediately.	Daily	High
Handle personal data securely	Use personal data only for authorised work purposes and protect it from loss or misuse.	Report any personal data breach or suspected breach immediately.	Daily	High
Use secure internet connections	Use approved VPN, secure Wi-Fi, and employer security settings.	Report insecure Wi-Fi, VPN failure, or suspected network compromise.	Daily	High
Use strong authentication	Use strong passwords, password managers, and MFA where required.	Report compromised credentials or suspicious login prompts immediately.	Daily	High
Lock screens when unattended	Lock computers and mobile devices whenever they are not in use.	Report any unauthorised access to an unlocked device.	Daily	High
Prevent others seeing or hearing work	Take confidential calls privately and shield screens from household members or the public.	Report any accidental disclosure of confidential information.	Daily	High
Store work documents securely	Keep digital and paper records in approved secure locations only.	Report lost, misplaced, or improperly stored records.	Daily	High
Limit and secure home printing	Print only when necessary and dispose of papers by approved secure methods.	Report any lost printed material or disposal failure.	As Needed	High
Report phishing and suspicious messages	Check suspicious emails, links, attachments, calls, or payment requests carefully.	Report suspicious messages through the employeru2019s security process immediately.	As Needed	High
Report data breaches immediately	Escalate any loss, disclosure, unauthorised access, or cyber incident without delay.	Report facts, affected data, systems, people, and timing immediately.	As Needed	High
Use approved systems only	Store, share, and process work information only in employer-approved tools.	Request approval before using unapproved apps, cloud storage, or AI tools.	Daily	High
Install required security updates	Allow security patches and updates on work devices as instructed.	Report failed updates, malware warnings, or disabled security tools.	As Needed	High
Equipment and Property
Look after employer equipment	Use laptops, phones, monitors, furniture, and accessories carefully for work purposes.	Report damage, loss, theft, or malfunction immediately.	Daily	High
Do not share work devices	Keep employer devices for personal authorised use only and do not allow household use.	Report any unauthorised access or use by another person.	Daily	High
Transport equipment securely	Keep devices secure and protected when travelling between home, office, and clients.	Report loss, theft, or suspected tampering immediately.	As Needed	High
Claim remote working expenses correctly	Submit only authorised, evidenced, and policy-compliant expense claims.	Request approval before incurring non-standard home working costs.	As Needed	Medium
Return employer property when required	Return devices, documents, passes, and accessories on request or termination.	Report missing items or inability to return property promptly.	As Needed	High
Performance and Conduct
Maintain performance standards remotely	Meet agreed objectives, deadlines, service levels, and quality standards.	Tell the manager early if remote working affects delivery.	Daily	Medium
Communicate professionally online	Use respectful, lawful, and work-appropriate language in calls, emails, and chats.	Report bullying, harassment, discrimination, or misuse of digital tools.	Daily	High
Avoid discrimination and harassment online	Treat colleagues fairly and avoid discriminatory or harassing conduct in remote interactions.	Report or escalate discriminatory, harassing, or victimising conduct.	Daily	High
Work free from unreasonable distractions	Arrange working time and environment so duties can be performed effectively.	Report recurring distractions that materially affect performance.	Daily	Medium
Manage caring duties separately from work	Do not use remote working as a substitute for childcare or dependent care.	Report emergencies or caring issues affecting availability or performance.	As Needed	Medium
Confidentiality and Security
Avoid confidential work in public places	Do not handle sensitive calls, screens, or documents where others may access them.	Seek approval before working from cafes, trains, hotels, or shared spaces.	As Needed	High
Performance and Conduct
Do not perform unauthorised outside work	Use working time only for employer duties and avoid conflicts of interest.	Disclose outside work, conflicts, or competing commitments as required.	On Change of Circumstances	High
Work Location
Use formal requests for permanent changes	Submit a flexible working request for long-term changes to hours, place, or pattern.	Provide requested details and discuss practical effects with the employer.	As Needed	Medium
Check home working permissions if required	Follow policy on mortgage, tenancy, lease, planning, or insurance restrictions.	Report any restriction that may prevent lawful or permitted home working.	On Change of Circumstances	Medium
Equipment and Property
Report IT failures promptly	Use support channels when devices, systems, internet, or phones stop working.	Report issue, impact, troubleshooting steps, and likely downtime.	As Needed	Medium
Availability and Communication
Follow outage and continuity instructions	Use alternative agreed work, contact, or office arrangements during disruption.	Report expected downtime and ability to attend another location.	As Needed	Medium
Keep regular contact with the team	Participate in agreed check-ins, one-to-ones, updates, and team communications.	Tell the manager if isolation, workload, or communication issues arise.	Weekly	Medium
Health and Safety
Raise remote working wellbeing concerns	Seek support if isolation, workload, stress, or work-life boundaries become problematic.	Report concerns to the manager, HR, or wellbeing contact as appropriate.	As Needed	Medium
Request needed workplace adjustments	Tell the employer about adjustments needed for remote or hybrid work.	Report barriers, changed needs, or ineffective adjustments promptly.	On Change of Circumstances	Medium
Confidentiality and Security
Do not record meetings without permission	Record calls or meetings only where authorised and lawful.	Seek approval before recording and report accidental recordings.	As Needed	High
Use AI tools only as authorised	Do not enter confidential, client, or personal data into unapproved AI tools.	Request approval before using AI and report accidental disclosure through AI tools.	As Needed	High
Performance and Conduct
Preserve work records properly	Save work outputs, decisions, approvals, and client records in approved locations.	Report missing, deleted, or incorrectly stored business records.	Daily	Medium
Work Location
Attend safely when commuting for work	Plan travel to attend required sites punctually and safely.	Report travel disruption affecting attendance as soon as possible.	As Needed	Low
Health and Safety
Use work equipment safely at home	Use employer equipment according to instructions and avoid unsafe cables or sockets.	Report damaged plugs, overheating, trip hazards, or unsafe electrical arrangements.	Daily	High
Cooperate with health and safety requirements	Follow health and safety instructions and take reasonable care while remote working.	Report anything that may seriously endanger health or safety.	Daily	High
Working Time
Do not work during annual leave	Disconnect from work during booked holiday unless exceptional approval is given.	Report pressure or requests to work during statutory holiday.	As Needed	Medium
Performance and Conduct
Comply with lawful monitoring arrangements	Use work systems knowing monitoring may apply where notified and lawful.	Raise concerns about monitoring through HR or data protection channels.	Daily	Medium
Health and Safety
Report inability to work safely from home	Stop or adjust work if the home workspace becomes unsafe or unsuitable.	Report the issue and discuss alternative arrangements or adjustments.	As Needed	High
Work Location
Follow office booking and site rules	Book desks, sign in, wear passes, and follow local workplace procedures.	Report access problems, missed bookings, or site safety issues.	As Needed	Low
Confirm daily work location if required	Update location tools or notify the manager where the policy requires it.	Report unexpected changes to planned home, office, or client location.	Daily	Low
Performance and Conduct
Complete remote working training	Complete required security, health and safety, DSE, conduct, and systems training.	Report inability to complete training by the required deadline.	As Needed	Medium
Confidentiality and Security
Follow client remote working requirements	Comply with client confidentiality, security, attendance, and communication rules.	Report any conflict between client requirements and employer policy.	As Needed	High

What Should UK Employees Do To Comply With A Remote And Hybrid Working Policy?

Employees should treat remote and hybrid working as a formal working arrangement, not an informal perk. The most important obligations are to remain contactable during agreed hours, work only from approved locations, protect confidential information, follow working time limits, and report health and safety, security, equipment, or location changes promptly.

Which Responsibilities Are Most Serious?

High-risk duties include data security, confidentiality, accurate working time records, safe workstation set-up, incident reporting, and returning employer property. Breaches can expose the employer to legal, regulatory, client, and operational risk.
Hybrid attendance duties should be clearly documented because employees may need to attend the workplace for meetings, training, supervision, performance concerns, or business needs.
Working overseas should normally require prior written approval because it may create tax, immigration, employment law, data protection, insurance, and health and safety issues.

What Should A UK Remote Working Policy Make Clear?

The policy should explain how employees must comply with the HSE guidance on home working, including workstation safety, display screen equipment use, and reporting hazards or pain.
It should set expectations for working time, rest breaks, availability, and overtime to support compliance with the Working Time Regulations 1998.
It should require employees to protect personal data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, especially when using home Wi-Fi, shared accommodation, public places, portable devices, printing, or cloud tools.
It should require employees to report changes in address, work location, caring arrangements affecting work, equipment faults, sickness, cyber incidents, and any inability to work safely or effectively from home.

Employee Responsibilities in Remote and Hybrid Working

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FAQs

What are employee responsibilities in remote and hybrid working in the UK?

Employees are generally responsible for working effectively, following company policies, protecting confidential information, maintaining communication, and ensuring their remote workspace is safe and suitable.

Do remote workers have to follow the same company policies as office workers?

What data protection responsibilities do employees have when working remotely?

How should employees communicate when working remotely or hybrid?

What health and safety duties do employees have when working from home?

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