WFH life can be great, but it also brings its own challenges -- and expenses. Who should be responsible for paying for office equipment, furnishings, and supplies when employees aren't actually in the office? Watch this space as a hot topic for future recruiting -- and employee retention.

1. Should Employers Invest in Home Office Expenses
While Employees Work Remotely?

2. • As the pandemic turned lives upside
down, we’re discovering work from
home (WFH) has distinct advantages
and disadvantages.
• There’s no commute, but sometimes
it's too quiet (or too loud!)...
• One question: Who covers WFH
employees’ expenses? It depends.
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3. • While some employers in the past
reimbursed employees for traditional
office supplies, what about WFH?
• Only these 10 states enacted laws
requiring employers to reimburse
WFH employees for certain work-
related expenses:
• California
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New York
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania
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4. • Federal requirements don’t mandate
an employer to reimburse employees
for work-related expenses while
they’re working remotely.
• Another federal protection is
the Americans With Disabilities Act.
• Beyond these, there's a big gray area.
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5. Some WFH Statistics That Might
Surprise You

6. • In a recent survey by Owl Labs, only
20 to 25% of companies are paying
for or reimbursing employees for
home office equipment and
furnishings.
• The survey also found that people
save on average around $500 per
month, or close to $6,000 a year,
working from home.
• Still, the WFH trend is here to
stay: 23% of those surveyed would
take a 10% pay cut to work
from home permanently.
• One compromise: Employees cover
their own WFH expenses instead of
taking a 10% pay cut to WFH.
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7. • Nulab’s State of Remote Workers
survey found that 56% of
respondents could not bring office
equipment home.
• And 37% were told the employer
would not reimburse them for office
equipment expenses.

8. What Do WFH Employees Think?

9. • In the same survey by Owl Labs, 1 in
2 people won’t return to a job that
doesn’t offer remote work after the
pandemic.
• But some remote workers who aren’t
provided the equipment and
resources they need to do their job
are finding the initial outlay to set up
a home office is expensive.
• Most employees want companies
to cover some of their internet and
cell phone bills each month.
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10. What Do Employers Think?

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• According to the Society for Human
Resource Management, business
consultancy Aon surveyed 2,004
global HR leaders and found:
• “42 percent have already
enhanced, or are actively
considering enhancing, allowances
and reimbursement policies for
remote employees in response to
the pandemic. This includes
covering cellphone, Internet and
home office expenses.”

12. • Those companies preparing for WFH
as the future of employment will be
leaps and bounds ahead of others,
attracting more and better talent than
those who don’t.
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13. Why Employers Should Invest Now
In WFH Expenses

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• Even if you work in a state without
employee reimbursement laws, it’s
still the fair thing to do.
• If your employees were in the office
or on site, you would provide them
with the tools and resources they
needed to do their jobs.
• That commitment doesn’t change
when they’re remote workers.

15. • Another consideration in providing
equipment is security.
• Cybersecurity attacks are common,
and they’re not only targeted at the
large corporations.
• Small and medium-sized businesses
get hacked every day, too.
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16. • When you provide a computer for
your employees, you can load it with
the security measures necessary to
protect your assets and customers’
personal identifying information.
• When employees provide their own
equipment, you leave your business
open to a security breach.
• Would you survive the loss of
millions of dollars in fines, your
reputation, and most of your clients?
• That’s what happens when systems
get hacked or when malware
or ransomware compromises
an employee’s personal laptop.
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17. Some Companies Are Doing It Right

18. • CNBC reported that the e-commerce
giant Spotify is giving new remote
employees $1,000 to furnish their
home office.
• WFH employees at Twitter also get
up to $1,000 for the same purpose.
• Basecamp, a Chicago software
company, also offers $1,000 for
home office equipment and
furnishings, while the textbook
company Chegg pays their WFH
employees’ internet bill and gives
them $500 for office furnishings.
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19. Final Thoughts

20. • The pandemic thrust millions of
workers into the WFH arena.
• Now those employees are finding
they like being at home and want to
continue.
• Organizations find that the WFH
employee works more hours and is
more productive.
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• For a win-win scenario like this, it
makes savvy business sense to equip
workers with what they need to
continue to WFH.
• Expect to see home office
reimbursements or stipends rising in
popularity in the near future.

22. Want more?
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23. Have we met socially?

24. Thank you!