Question from labor law: What must be provided in the home office?
Desk, laptop, chair and lamp - this equipment is provided by the employer for the home office. But only if there is no workstation in the company.
(Photo: Fabian Strauch/dpa)
Laptop, chair, lamp – what is the basic equipment for a home office? Anyone who works from home at the request of their employer is entitled to certain things. But not everything has to be taken over.
Working from home has advantages for many - but also brings with it questions. Whether it's a laptop, desk chair or lamp: what costs does the employer have to cover?
The employer must provide the minimum equipment required for the work to be carried out, explains Kathrin Schulze Zumkley, a specialist lawyer for labor law in Gütersloh. However, the standard of the office does not necessarily apply to the home office. If the company has height-adjustable tables, for example, this does not automatically mean that the employer must also provide such a table in the home office.
According to the lawyer, a classic office job must at least provide a desk, laptop, chair and lamp. Basically everything you need to be able to do the work. Food, such as coffee, is not included.
Is the home office an additional workplace?Attention: This only applies if employees work from home at the request of the employer, says the specialist lawyer. In this case, the employer may also be required to partially cover electricity, heating and internet bills. However, if a physical workplace, such as an office, is provided and the employee still wants an (additional) opportunity to work from home, no equipment for the home needs to be provided.
Special case: If a person cannot travel to work for certain reasons - for example because of a broken leg - but is still able to work, it must be checked whether the employer can demand that the employee works from home. In this case, it would again be the employer's duty to provide all necessary work materials, says Schulze Zumkley.
About the person: Kathrin Schulze Zumkley is a specialist lawyer for employment law, a member of the executive committee of the Employment Law Working Group of the German Bar Association (DAV) and a lecturer at the German Lawyers Academy and the Hamm Bar Association.
Source: ntv.de, awi/dpa
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