The council's working-from-home policies and remote working arrangements - Find a freedom of information request

I request the following information regarding your council's working-from-home policies and remote work arrangements:

1. Working from Home Policies:
a) Does your council have a formal policy or guidelines for employees working from home?

Please provide a copy of the current policy or guidelines.

2. Costs of Supporting Remote Work:
a) Total expenditure on supporting remote work in the last three financial years, broken down by year.
Include:

IT equipment and software (e.g., laptops, monitors, VPNs).
Home office allowances or grants are provided to employees.
Costs of training or support for remote work practices.
Other associated costs (e.g., increased cybersecurity measures or administrative costs).

3. Employees Working Outside Lincolnshire:
a) The total number of council employees who currently work primarily outside Lincolnshire but within the UK, including breakdown of salaries
b) The total number of council employees who work primarily from outside the UK, including breakdown of salaries
c) A breakdown of the roles or departments these employees belong to and the reasons for their location (e.g., recruitment challenges, flexible working arrangements).

4. Monitoring and Evaluation

a) Does the council monitor the productivity or performance of employees working remotely?
b) If yes, please provide details of the methods used and any findings from evaluations conducted in the past two years.

5. Planned Changes:
a) Are there any planned changes to working-from-home policies, allowances, or remote work arrangements in the next 12 months?

1a. Due to the nature of Lincolnshire County Council's (LCC’s) current smarter working approach and the flexibility that brings, along with the number of sites at which employees can work, Lincolnshire County Council do not record this information and are not able to give a precise figure on the number of employees who are currently working from home either full time or part time.

More information on LCC’s Smarter Working Policy can be found here: Lincolnshire County Council - Smarter Working Policy

2a. IT equipment and software are provided, irrespective of whether employees are working in the office or at home (hybrid working). We do not record separately the costs of those working remotely.

Employees however, are permitted to claim up to £100 every three years to purchase office equipment for use at home if it is required. This includes smaller items such as a non-standard desk, lamps, blinds, heaters or fans or costs of additional broadband (including set up).

The amounts claimed are :-

2023/2024 - £2,030.68

2024/2025 (to date) - £3,706.19

3a. Due to the nature of Lincolnshire County Council's (LCC’s) current smarter working approach and the flexibility that brings, along with the number of sites at which employees can work, Lincolnshire County Council do not record this information and are not able to give a precise figure on the number of employees who are currently working from home either full time or part time.

More information on LCC’s Smarter Working Policy can be found here: Lincolnshire County Council - Smarter Working Policy

b. LCC’s Smarter Working Policy states ‘Employees cannot work outside of the UK permanently. Any request to work overseas temporarily can only be approved in rare circumstances; for example, international restrictions on travel are imposed whilst overseas. An executive director must authorise all approvals, and the council's insurers notified.’

c. Same as above

4a. Yes

b. Please see link Lincolnshire County Council - Performance and Development Appraisal Policy