By Steve Ranger, 20 January 2006 12:50
NEWS
The number of companies offering Home Computing Initiatives (HCI) schemes to employees has more than tripled in the past year.
More than 1,250 organisations have implemented schemes, up from 380 at the same time last year.
The research by the HCI Alliance - whose members are BT, Intel and Microsoft - also found three-quarters of the employees who take up HCI computers are lower rate tax payers. This, according to HCI, shows that the schemes are helping to bridge the digital divide.
HCI schemes allow employers to loan computing equipment to their employees for personal use at home as a tax-free benefit.
While larger businesses led the way in implementing HCI schemes, now increasing numbers of small and medium-sized businesses are following suit, the group said.
HCI Alliance director Vivien Quinn said in a statement: "Nearly half a million employees have acquired home computing equipment through HCI schemes so far and many thousands more will do so in 2006."
Royal Mail learning and development director Peter Wilkinson added in a statement: "Our HCI programme 'Learning for All' has been tremendously successful in the Royal Mail, so much so that we believe there would be an outcry from our employees if we thought about stopping it."
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
I work for Royal Mail, and the home computing scheme seems to be more about selling massively over priced packages to employees. Sure you get a tax break, and a loan for a 3 year period, but most people don't need the 'extras' in the package that make it seem like a saving.
Additionally the article mentions home working. The HCI does not have much to do with home working, I do not know one person at Royal Mail that works from home on a computer sourced through the scheme.
Homeworking and telecommuting has no relation to the HCI initiative.
2. anonymous
I agree HCI is nothing to do with home working - it's supposed to be a cheap way of buying a PC for home use - my husband works for Tesco and we got a top of the range 17" laptop for about £25 a month - my only worry is it's a DELL one :(
So far so good though and with the Tesco scheme you could just buy the bits you wanted and add on printers, software if required. I thought it was great - can't wait for the 3 years to be up so I can buy another!!
3. Paul Davies
I disagree with the price comment. I got a computer from work under the Home Computer Initiative from a provider, www.simplyhomecomputers.co.uk
They had a wide choice of packages cheaper than retail (before the tax saving)
The HCI is a great way to fund a purchase for a tax free home computer scheme