Remote Work Compliance: What London Teams Need to Know

When your team works from home, a café in Shoreditch, or a co-working space in Camden, remote work compliance, the legal framework that governs how employers manage employees who don’t work in a traditional office. Also known as telework regulations, it’s not about tracking hours on a screen—it’s about making sure you’re following UK employment law, tax rules, and health and safety standards even when your staff are miles from the office. Many London companies assume that because someone’s working remotely, they’re outside the scope of workplace rules. That’s a dangerous mistake. HMRC still needs to know where your employee is working for tax purposes. The Health and Safety Executive still expects you to assess risks—even if the risk is a wobbly kitchen chair or poor lighting in a rented flat in Brixton.

Remote work compliance isn’t one rule—it’s a mix of overlapping systems. First, there’s UK employment law, the legal rights and responsibilities between employer and employee, including working hours, pay, and contract terms. If you’re hiring someone in London and they’re working from home, their contract still applies. You can’t change their rights just because they’re not in the office. Then there’s HMRC remote work, the tax and National Insurance obligations tied to where an employee performs their duties. If an employee works from home more than 30% of the time, you may need to report it. If they’re working abroad for more than a few weeks, you could trigger payroll obligations in another country. And don’t forget hybrid work policy, a clear, written agreement between employer and employee about when and where work happens. Without one, you’re leaving yourself open to disputes over expectations, expenses, and even overtime.

London employers who ignore these pieces end up paying penalties, facing tribunal claims, or losing talent to companies that actually do it right. The best teams don’t just let people work from home—they structure it legally. That means documenting where people work, tracking hours accurately, reimbursing reasonable expenses like internet or electricity, and making sure mental health support is available no matter where someone logs in from. It’s not about surveillance. It’s about fairness, clarity, and protecting both the business and the person doing the work.

Below, you’ll find real examples from London-based teams who got remote work compliance right—without overcomplicating it. From startups in Tech City to agencies in Soho, these posts show what policies actually look like, how to handle expenses without getting bogged down, and how to avoid the most common legal traps. No fluff. No jargon. Just what works in the real world of London work life.