Home Office Allowance: find out if it's compulsory and what the ideal amount is

Home office support is an effective strategy for implementing flexibility. Since the pandemic, remote working has established itself as a way of optimizing results in various functions. However, it requires specific support to take care of employee health and engagement.

Thinking about this is a way of boosting your competitiveness. According to data from FGV, the main markets already have a significant percentage of remote professionals:

• Business - 22.7%;
• Manufacturing industry - 20.2%;
• Services - 13.4%;
• Construction - 40.9%.

In this article, we present the best incentive for you to get ahead and boost productivity. Read on!

What is home office assistance?

Home office assistance is a financial support instrument for people working remotely. With it, we promote productivity, occupational health and quality of life by providing a work structure that is compatible with the physical and psychological needs of employees who work remotely.

Are companies obliged to pay the home office allowance?

Home office assistance is an efficient way of meeting the requirement for adequate working conditions in terms of employee health and safety. Although it is not compulsory, it is the most cost-effective option for you to comply with the law.

Is home office assistance provided for in the CLT?

This is authorized under article 75-D and its sole paragraph of the CLT. According to the law, this optional benefit is not part of the remuneration calculation, minimizing labor and social security charges.

Another feature is that the rules must be laid down in a written contract. This agreement stipulates responsibilities for expenses, work structure and other utilities needed to carry out the remote service.

What is the ideal amount to pay for home office assistance?

The ideal amount should take into account the necessary structure and the employee's expenses. Currently, the market average is R$218.00, according to a report published by CNN Brasil.

Is it worth it for the company to pay for home office help?

Companies that offer home office assistance experience benefits for employee productivity. See some examples below!

Improving health, well-being and hygiene at work

The incentive removes discomfort and dissatisfaction through a more suitable work structure:

• the use of more appropriate chairs and furniture, such as adjustable tables and ergonomic chairs;
• the cost of products and services needed for activities, such as office supplies, internet, telephone and energy;
• investment in more up-to-date equipment, such as computers and accessories;
• creating a more pleasant environment in terms of interior design, decoration, etc.

As the person would have to make these investments on their own, the home office allowance also represents an improvement in remuneration. As a result, it works as a motivational factor, as a form of incentive and recognition.

Implementing a more effective home office

By offering a more suitable working structure, the company will be more effective in implementing the home office model. In many sectors, remote working is an efficient solution for boosting productivity in organizations.

In the FGV study, for example, the percentage of companies that experienced an increase in home office productivity rose from 21.6% in 2021 to 30% in 2022. On the other hand, those who saw a negative result fell from 19.4% to 10.2% in the same period.²

Companies are becoming more efficient with remote working. In addition to assessing the characteristics of the job, working conditions need to be appropriate, for example with financial support to cover expenses.

How to implement home office assistance?

You can adopt home office assistance without a lot of red tape. Keep an eye on trends and best practices in benefits management.

Define policies

One starting point is to define the eligible positions and the budget needed for the program in a benefit plan. It's also important to formalize everything with a written agreement, as required by law.

Set appropriate values

Depending on the job and position, make a price survey to understand the ideal price. One point of attention is to understand the expenses and equipment required, especially if they demand more advanced technical requirements.

Set the rules of use

The rules of use involve the establishments, products and services that can be accessed with the aid. Technology will also play a key role in enabling you to control the use of the balance in the rules.

Invest in flexibility

Home office support should be flexible so that the person can set up their own work structure. In this way, the company invests in what effectively impacts productivity and well-being, optimizing the investment.

Here at Alymente, for example, we take care of everything for you to implement your benefits strategy. With the multi-benefit card, you can activate home office assistance and provide benefits in a total of 9 segments, keeping everything on a single platform.

It's the best solution because you have total control of your strategy, allocating the balance according to the available budget. Meanwhile, employees use the card for different products and services in the network of more than 4 million Mastercard® establishments.

The controls and limitations are automated according to the MCC code and CNPJ of the commercial establishments, and the purchase is only authorized if it complies with the category you have defined in your strategy.

That way, you have the best solution for implementing home office support and boosting remote working productivity. It's an easy and agile way to adopt the benefits your team needs, without the headaches of managing countless suppliers and payment methods.

To understand how the multi-benefit card simplifies your management and delivers a high return on investment, get to know our solutions for developing your corporate benefits strategy!

Image credit: Freepik.