Homeworking involves the delivery of work to your home where it is completed and then returned. It can be a convenient way of working. However, the hours are often very long and there can be considerable pressure to complete work in time. Pay is usually on a piecework basis and is often very low.
Never send money if an advert requests you to. You may lose your money as these adverts can be bogus.
West Yorkshire Homeworking Unit
[WYHU]
Field House, 15 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HF
Tel: 01924 439 618
The WYHU works with people who are either doing paid work from home or are looking for such work.
Homeworkers are often isolated and face problems of low pay, lack of employment status and poor or unsafe working conditions.
The WYHU's aim is to tackle these problems, particularly in ways that include homeworkers themselves. The WYHU also works to increase public awareness of the nature and extent of homeworking. They work across the whole of West Yorkshire covering Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield.
The WYHU produces a range of free leaflets explaining how people can look for work to do from home, how to avoid fraudulent homeworking advertisements (scams) and covering health and safety issues. They also work with community groups throughout West Yorkshire to provide information and promote homeworking. Throughout the year the WYHU holds information stalls at various events to promote homeworking and provide information and advice.
The WYHU works with community groups and other training providers to support individuals in developing skills which will enable them to work from home. The types of training that can be organised include:
- How to look for work to do from home
- Skills identification
- Employment rights
- Health and safety
- Food hygiene
- Childcare
- Sewing skills
The National Group on Homeworking
[NGH]
Office 26, 30-38 Dock Street, Leeds, LS10 1JF
Advice and Information Line: 0800 174 095 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 3.30pm)
The NGH campaigns to improve the terms and conditions of the UK's homeworkers. It offers information and advice relating to homeworking - home based work - such as employment rights and the application of the National minimum wage.
You can download some useful leaflets and fact packs from the NGH's website.
The NGH do not find home work for people. As far as they know there is no such thing as a directory of companies offering genuine homeworking opportunities
TUC - workSMART
The 'your rights at work' section of the TUC's workSMART website covers the employment rights of homeworkers. You can download a leaflet - 'Your rights as a homeworker' - from their website.