Work from anywhere?

Interesting to read that the Ocado group is offering staff the opportunity to work remotely from abroad. There are parameters around how this opportunity will operate in practice and Ocado has doubtless taken advice on how to do this effectively. However, it is worth reminding employers, who might be tempted to follow suit as they think about their hybrid working arrangements more broadly, that allowing workers to work abroad for a UK employer can have unexpected and potentially expensive consequences. These can include tax, pensions and social security liabilities, local employment law rights and obligations as well as data protection and immigration issues. If you are tempted to follow Ocado's lead and want to allow your people to work abroad I would suggest checking out all the implications before you commit so you can tailor your offer accordingly.