Why would an employer not let me work from home?

Dillpicks

I have been working with my employer since 2011 and I became disabled in 2021, I have been recently felt put at a disadvantage because of my disability. I keep having sick leave off due to my disability and under my reasonable adjustments from occupational health, I have been told my job does not permit me from working from home even though most of it is on a computer, is there any reasons why an employer won't let someone work from home?

Jimm_Scope

Hey @Dillpicks, welcome to our community 😊 I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your employer. There can sometimes be reasons for not permitting someone to work from home despite it mostly being on a computer. Usually if you deal with a lot of very sensitive data I believe? Otherwise however, I can't think of many other reasons working from home would be unreasonable.

What sort of industry is your work in if you don't mind me asking? I'm assuming nobody else at the company works from home at all if they're denying you? I'm wondering if it isn't the industry they don't want to deal with the imagined 'hassle' of making sure you have all the equipment you need at home.

Oh, one other question, you mentioned reasonable adjustments from occupational health. Is that for the sick leave, or for working from home? I wasn't sure from your post and wanted to be sure!

One thing you may want to do is to contact Acas: Contact us | Acas

They're a public body and are able to give advice both to employees and employers about your rights and protections.

I'm going to also pop this over to our work category. There might be other's who have experienced asking their employer to work from home, but have had a negative response.

Dillpicks

Hello,

I work as a deputy manager for a lab, The reason I have been given is I cannot fulfil all of my duties from home or your a deputy not a manager, a manager can delegate to their deputies but deputy has to be in at all times and we don't want to set a precedence for you. Their the reasons I have been given. I think its the hassle of telling other deputies why I can work from home during my arthritic flare ups.

The reasonable adjustments are extend my sick leave targets and/or allow to work from home during painful periods.

I will be contacting Acas thank you

Stellar

Nine times out of ten the reason why employers won't let people work from home is ableism, and not actually because the job genuinely cannot be done remotely.

a manager can delegate to their deputies but deputy has to be in at all times and we don't want to set a precedence for you

this is one of many excuses often used to deny any form of reasonable adjustment.

make sure you get these reasons in writing.

vikki66

Hi, did you ask which specific elements of the job they say you can’t do from home - to see if reasonable adjustments can be made for those elements?