Letter to the Editor: I would like through your well read Letters page to ask a question of great concern to so many employees who were mostly employed contractually to work in their employer’s premises but, with the pandemic, had to work in their own homes. This was to avoid personal contact with many colleagues in premises designed for multiple employees.

My question is this: How will the cost to each individual employee be determined for reimbursement by their employers for this ‘homework’?

The cost of working from home to the employee will involve a high number of hours of extra heating of their work room, electricity for lighting, computer usage, particular to each employee and dwelling, not to mention room hire.

There will also be additional employer staff cost to ascertain all this information from every individual employee now working from home all with different claims for reimbursement at great expense to the employer.

This home working may well suit those living many miles away from their work premises in travelling costs, but it is definitely not advantageous to employees with additional presently rocketing heating costs. The Income Tax allowances on homeworking is really irrelevant as the domiciliary costs involved are specific to the employer demand.

Other important issues are such as what insurances are in place for homeworking, use of home furniture, internet access etc? Were these discussed individually with each employee in advance.

I would add that this is in my opinion a minefield for employers with hundreds of workers and with the weather becoming increasingly colder — more employees can ill afford all day heating.

Patricia Bates,

Penparcau