While most employees are diligent and committed to their work, there will always be some who will seek to abuse homeworking arrangements, just as these individuals would abuse any other arrangement. Just because a person is sitting in an office gazing intently at a computer screen, it does not mean they are necessarily contributing to service delivery.
Good HR practice is to establish fair and reasonable performance management routines that apply to everyone. The output of work is openly discussed and reviewed with each member of staff. Everyone's commitment to service delivery priorities is gained, including those who work at home. Targets and standards are agreed and people know what is expected of them.
The human is a social animal, and there are risks arising from loneliness. In a workplace environment, we all react to words spoken; gestures, smiles, and the absence of these can lead to reduced confidence or even depression. People who are absent from work for extended periods often report these symptoms. Thus the particular challenge for supervisors of lone and homeworkers, is to make specific arrangements to provide supportive feedback. Supervisors can do this directly or through other team members, perhaps by creating a buddy system. But the feedback needs to be more frequent than would be the case when there is informal contact at work.