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Home insurance & telework: complete guide
The development of teleworking raises new questions: what happens if professional documents are stolen from your home? If you get hurt during your working day at home? If sensitive company data is hacked while you are teleworking? Does your home insurance cover you? Does your company have to provide special protection for your telework? We give you the answer to all these questions!
What is teleworking? Definition
Telework corresponds to professional activity carried out outside the premises of the company, whether at the request of the employee or the company. He can be :
- Total or partial: if full remote teleworking remains rather rare, more and more companies are offering one or two days of teleworking per week.
- Regular or occasional: even if some companies have not yet instituted the possibility of teleworking regularly, they can be flexible in the event of a transport strike or personal imperative, for example.
Telework is governed by a collective agreement or a charter in which we must find in particular:
- the time slots during which the employer must be able to contact you;
- the methods of controlling your working time or your workload.
Home telework insurance: are you covered?
On the premises of the company, it is the employer who is responsible for the safety of his employees and the risks concerning the equipment.
In teleworking, the law specifies that "an accident occurring at the place where teleworking is carried out during the exercise of the professional activity of the teleworker is presumed to be a work accident" (article L1222-9 - Labor Code).
Logically, it is therefore up to your employer and his insurance to cover any claims in the context of teleworking. They support:
- accidents at work;
- any damage to professional property, materials and equipment that they make available to you;
- potential breaches of sensitive data.
On a personal level, you are also protected by your own home insurance when you are at home. That being said, it does not necessarily take into account the fact that you can exercise your professional activity there. And in fact, the company's insurance does not cover damage that may affect your personal property, even if it is caused by professional equipment, during your teleworking day (for example your pro computer which damages the plan of your kitchen).
In any case, we therefore advise you to contact your insurance company if teleworking is a new fact since the signing of your home insurance contract.
What insurance in case of teleworking?
You are an employee
Most home insurance policies have a telecommuting component. The easiest way is to check in your contract what is provided for on the subject and/or to contact your insurer to confirm that you have a telework guarantee.
Some employers may require that you provide them with a telework insurance certificate. To obtain one, simply contact your home insurance, which can then send you a document stating that your home is well insured, and that the insurance company is informed that you are teleworking there.
You are self-employed
The self-employed are their own employer. Their need to be insured as part of their telework is therefore greater.
Everything will depend on the nature of your professional activity:
- If you only work with a computer and a smartphone, your classic home insurance should suffice.
- If your professional equipment has a high value or if you have to store goods in your home, it will be essential to take out specific insurance.
