Knowledge base
Answers on remote work, hybrid work and occupational safety
Short, reliable answers to the 51 questions employers ask us most – from cost and tax through law and safety to equipment, desk sharing and hybrid collaboration.
Home office as a service
- From what team size is home office as a service worthwhile?onyo can be used from a single employee. There is no flat minimum size from which the service becomes economical: what matters is which equipment and support the company needs.
- How does good remote onboarding work?Good remote onboarding starts before day one: with equipment in place, working accounts, a clear induction plan and a dedicated contact person.
- How fast is home office equipment delivered?Delivery time depends on the selected products, their availability and the delivery address. The delivery times stated or confirmed for the order are decisive.
- Is a home office worth it for companies?Working from home can pay off for companies when suitable tasks, good workstations and functioning collaboration come together. What matters is comparing the additional costs with realistically achievable savings and improvements.
- What happens to home office equipment when someone leaves?With onyo direct rental, the equipment remains onyo's property. When someone leaves, onyo asks the employee whether they would like to buy the equipment. In case of a buy-out, onyo issues an invoice; otherwise onyo organises collection.
- What is home office as a service?Home office as a service means companies no longer have to procure and manage home workstations themselves. With onyo, employees choose their equipment within the approved budget; onyo organises delivery and the agreed services through to collection.
- What is workplace as a service?Workplace as a service describes the provision of workstations with ongoing services instead of an isolated furniture or hardware order. Which equipment and services are included differs by provider.
- Which providers offer home office equipment?onyo is a provider for equipping employees in the home office. Companies control budgets and approvals via the platform; employees choose suitable products. onyo organises delivery and the agreed services including collection.
- Who is liable for damage to home office equipment?With rented onyo equipment, onyo is the owner and the contact for damage. The equipment is covered by property insurance; onyo organises and covers repair or replacement – at no cost to the employer.
Law & occupational safety
- Can an employer withdraw remote work?It depends on the contractual basis. Where there is a binding commitment, a works agreement or established company practice, the employer cannot simply withdraw remote work unilaterally.
- Can employees work remotely from abroad?It depends on the country, the duration and the specific activity. Social security, tax liability, immigration and occupational safety can change – special rules apply within the EU, and it gets complex outside.
- Do employees in Germany have a right to work from home?No, there is no general statutory right. A claim can arise from the employment contract, a works agreement, a collective agreement or established company practice.
- Does maternity protection apply when working from home?Yes. German maternity protection law (MuSchG) also applies to telework and home office work. Once a pregnancy is reported, the employer must adapt the risk assessment and review the protective measures needed. For screen work, section 10(2) MuSchG requires the work to be designed so that regular short interruptions or other tasks are possible.
- Does the works council co-determine remote work?In companies with a works council, the design of mobile work is in principle subject to co-determination (section 87(1) no. 14 BetrVG). This concerns the general framework – not every individual decision in day-to-day work.
- Is a risk assessment mandatory for home office work?Yes. Under section 3(1) of the German Occupational Safety Act the employer must take the necessary safety measures and verify their effectiveness. This includes the risk assessment under section 5 ArbSchG. These duties also apply to workstations in private homes.
- Is an accident in the home office a workplace accident?Whether an accident counts as a workplace accident depends on its connection to the insured activity – not on the location alone. German courts decide case by case, particularly where work and private tasks interlock.
- May the employer inspect the home workstation?No. The home is protected by Article 13 of the German constitution, so the employer has no general right of entry. However, employers can require employees to cooperate – for example through a digital risk assessment.
- Must psychological strain be assessed for remote work?Yes. Psychological strain is part of the risk assessment under section 5 ArbSchG. For remote work this concerns in particular blurred boundaries, availability, work organisation and social isolation.
- Must remote employees receive safety instruction?Yes. Under section 12 ArbSchG employees must be instructed on safety and health protection – on hiring, on significant changes and thereafter recurrently, at least annually. This also applies in the home office.
- Must the employer pay for home office equipment?The employer must provide the work equipment required for the job. For established telework this is clear; for mobile work the employer likewise remains responsible for suitable equipment and the necessary protective measures.
- Must working time be recorded when working from home?The duty to record the start, end and duration of working time applies regardless of location – including home office and mobile work. The basis is the German Federal Labour Court ruling of 13 September 2022 (1 ABR 22/21); a statutory implementation in the Working Time Act is not yet in force.
- What applies to data protection when working from home?The GDPR also applies in the home office. The employer must define technical and organisational measures that keep personal data protected in the private home too – for example device management, encrypted connections and rules for handling documents.
- What belongs in a remote work policy?Scope, prerequisites, number and distribution of remote days, availability, working time, equipment, occupational safety, data protection, cost rules, working abroad and a change process.
- What fines apply for missing occupational safety in home offices?Breaches of a regulation under the German Occupational Safety Act can be fined up to EUR 5,000 as an administrative offence under section 25(1) ArbSchG. Where committed intentionally and endangering another person's life or health, a fine of up to EUR 30,000 can be imposed under section 25(2).
- What is the difference between home office, telework and mobile work?Telework is a screen workstation permanently set up by the employer in the employee's home and falls under the German Workplace Ordinance. Mobile work is location-independent work without a fixed workstation; 'home office' is an everyday term for both.
Costs, tax and budget
- Does ergonomic home office equipment pay off?Yes. Non-ergonomic setups cost up to 25% of productivity – measured against an annual salary that is a multiple of the equipment cost. Home office ergonomics is one of the most economical investments in hybrid work.
- Does remote work save CO₂?Working from home can reduce emissions by eliminating commutes. The size of the overall effect depends, among other things, on the mode of transport, the distance and the additional or saved energy consumption at home and in the office.
- How is home office equipment treated for tax?For German tax purposes it matters which work equipment is provided and whether employees may only use it or receive ownership. Private use of company computers and telecommunications devices can be tax-free under section 3 no. 45 EStG; this rule does not apply across the board to all furniture.
- How large should the home office budget per employee be?The budget should match the equipment needed. It is important to distinguish between the approved budget and actual costs: based on onyo experience, around 70% of eligible employees use the offer and draw on average about 75% of their budget.
- How much office space does hybrid work save?In practice, hybrid work and desk sharing typically save 20–40% of office space and therefore rent. Fewer desks needed means less space – how quickly the saving materialises depends on the lease.
- Is a home office allowance or provided equipment better?If the budget is meant to reliably fund a suitable workstation, provided equipment is more targeted than a freely disposable cash allowance. With onyo, employees choose suitable products; the company keeps an overview of orders and costs.
- Should companies buy or rent office furniture?Buying and renting serve different needs. When buying, the company pays for the equipment and takes it into its own assets. In the onyo rental model, it uses the equipment for an agreed rental rate and can have the agreed services handled for it.
- What does a home office workstation cost?The cost depends on which equipment is needed and whether it is bought or rented. With onyo, the company sets the budget framework; billing covers the ordered equipment and the agreed services.
Equipment & ergonomics
- How do you set up a home office in a small flat?With compact but ergonomic solutions: a narrow height-adjustable desk, foldable or mobile elements, a monitor arm instead of a stand and vertical storage.
- How far away should a monitor be placed?A common guide is a viewing distance of about 50 to 70 cm; larger screens may require more distance. Screen height and font size should suit the person's eyes and visual ability.
- How high should a desk be set?The height depends on body size and sitting posture. As a guide, many adults use values around 68 to 76 cm when seated; standing values are usually considerably higher. The individual adjustment is decisive.
- How often should you take breaks from screen work?In Germany, rest breaks are prescribed by section 5 of the Working Time Act. Ergonomics additionally recommends short interruptions, posture changes and eye breaks; frequency and length depend on the task and strain.
- What does a good home workstation need?The basics are suitable seating, sufficient work surface, a correctly positioned screen plus keyboard and mouse, good lighting and appropriate technical equipment. Details depend on the task, body dimensions and legal requirements.
- What should you look for in an office chair?What matters are adjustability, stability and fit to body size – for example seat height, seat depth and back support. References to standards or test marks can help with selection but do not replace individual adjustment.
Desk sharing & office space
- How does a desk booking system work?Employees select an available desk for a given day. Depending on the system they see a floor plan, team zones or utilisation. Bookings generate planning data – they evidence the booking, not necessarily actual attendance.
- What is a clean desk policy?A clean desk policy requires desks to be left free of personal and confidential material at the end of the day. This makes desk sharing easier and is a building block of data protection – on its own it is not a sufficient data-protection measure.
- What is desk sharing?Desk sharing means not every person has a permanently assigned desk. Employees use or book available desks. Typical ratios reduce desks, office space and rent by 20–40%.
Workplaces & office types
- How do you manage distributed workstations in an asset register?With a digital record per person and workstation: which equipment was delivered when, where it is and which return deadlines apply. onyo documents equipment ordered via the platform and the associated processes.
- Should companies pay for coworking spaces?An allowance can make sense, for example when employees have no suitable workstation at home or live far from the office. Whether it pays off depends on the costs and the actual need.
- What are the benefits of a home office?Employees can save commuting time and work with more focus. Companies can reduce procurement effort, reach candidates from wider regions and improve workstation quality at home.
- What types of offices are there?Common types are the private office, two-person and group offices, open-plan offices, combi-offices, open space and activity-based concepts – plus coworking, satellite offices and the home workstation.
Hybrid work & culture
- Are employees more productive working from home?There is no blanket answer. Studies find different effects depending on the task, equipment and organisation; in the TK study of February 2026, mobile workers on average reported higher self-assessed mental productivity.
- How do hybrid meetings work well?By treating everyone equally: one person, one tile, good microphones, shared documents instead of in-room whiteboards, and facilitation that actively includes remote participants.
- How do you avoid isolation when working from home?Through regular social contact, shared office days and a team culture that creates belonging remotely too. Which measures fit depends on the team.
- How do you keep hybrid work fair?Through equal rules, equal information and equal opportunity: written documentation of decisions, hybrid meeting rules, and promotion criteria based on outcomes rather than attendance.
- How many office days per week make sense?There is no universally right number. Two to three office days are a common starting point; what matters are tasks, team needs and the coordination of shared days.
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