Remote working

What’s it for?  

Remote Working, previously known as ‘working from home’, allows you to carry out your work from:

• Your home

• A MOD location closer to home

• An alternative location such as a hotel or train (with the correct security arrangements in place) when you are required to travel for work

What do I get?

Remote working allows greater flexibility in meeting domestic/personal needs where the nature of work allows. You can do it on either an ad hoc or regular basis.

An ad hoc arrangement is an informal arrangement to occasionally work at home (at Commanding Officer/line manager discretion) to complete a task or project. These are informal arrangements and no written agreement is necessary.

For regular Remote Working, it is a more formal arrangement with working time shared between home and the workplace. However, because you are working remotely regularly it is appropriate to have a written agreement in place.

Remote working may also be an option to help you through a period of personal difficulty for a specified period.

Any alternative working arrangement depends on your unit’s ability to maintain operational capability but, for some types of alternative working arrangements, this may also extend to the impact on the operational demands on your trade or specialisation more widely.

If your application to work remotely can’t be supported, the reasons must be explained to you.

Other things to consider

Although MOD laptops can make a big difference, your unit may not be able to provide enough for everyone, so you may want to consider alternatives, such as working from another MOD location or using MODBOX.

Whether you are working remotely on an ad hoc or regular basis, appropriate security arrangements will need to be in place to make sure that material is not compromised, particularly if an MOD laptop is not available - for more information read JSP 440 (the Defence Manual of Security, Resilience and Business Continuity).

Health and Safety is important, too. The MOD still has a duty to make sure that you are working safely, even when it is from your own home. If you have children, you should make sure that you have suitable arrangements in place to allow you to work undisturbed.

Allowances also need to be considered. An alternative working arrangement could affect your eligibility to claim some allowances such as Home to Duty and Get you Home (travel). Discuss proposals informally with your Commanding Officer/line manager to manage expectations and find a mutually agreeable working routine prior to applying. You have a responsibility to notify Unit HR if your alternative working arrangement could impact your eligibility.

Any arrangement should be reviewed by your Line Manager on a regular basis (at least every 12 months, but earlier if necessary).

Remote Working due to COVID-19

If you need to work remotely to comply with Defence direction, to self-isolate or to support care of family members, you should record it on JPA, using one of the COVID-19 values as the reason. In addition, you must also record your COVID-19 status using the protocol directed by your Service. Visit the Coronavirus Military HR guidance defnet page for details about recording COVID-19 related Remote Working on JPA and more.

How do I apply for this?

Applications for alternative working arrangements that reoccur over a period of 31 days or longer must be submitted on JPA. The Absences (flexible working) user guide (which can be found at JPA user guides) tells you how to do this. 

You don’t need to apply via JPA for a one-off or ad hoc arrangement.