Lord Stuart Rose has criticized working from home, claiming that it is “not proper work”.
In a BBC Panorama document Should We Still Be Working From Home? Rose claimed home working is part of the UK’s “general decease” and that it damages productivity.
He said: “We have made a 20-year regression in this country, in terms working practices, productivity, and the wellbeing of the country, in the past four years.”
“Train drivers have to go to the office.” “People who work in operating rooms have to go to the office.” Some people have to work, like those in retail or service industries. Others don’t. They have kids, they are struggling, they’re having issues. But they deal with it.”
His comments coincide with a number of employers enforcing policies requiring staff to work in the office the majority of the time or the entire week. This includes WPP, and Amazon.
The women also echo Debbie Crosbie‘s words, the chief executive officer of Nationwide. She said that women may miss out on opportunities for career advancement if they only work at home.
In a survey conducted by International Workplace Group, a study in 2024 found, however, that the strict mandates of return to office were driving workers to search for new jobs. In a survey of recruiters, 67% reported that candidates were increasingly turning down roles that didn’t offer hybrid working.
In a snapshot survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics in December 2024, just over one quarter (26%) said that they had worked hybridly in the previous seven days. They spent some days working from home and others in an office.
Justin Madders, Minister of Employment Rights at Panorama, said that taxpayers shouldn’t assume that those who work from home have a lower level of productivity than those in an office.
He said: “If we can get more people to work because they have flexibility, this will help us achieve our growth ambitions.”
Madders continued: “We’re hearing that the most progressive companies are actually seeing the benefits from home-working.” It helps them improve recruitment, and also retention.
Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom said that it was important for employees to spend at least four hours a day in the office so that they can be mentored.
His research shows that hybrid working doesn’t produce more or less than five days in the office a week. There is a sweet spot for productivity and retention.
In the hybrid studies, it was found that once employees are working three days per week, there is no productivity increase. This is a highly profitable business. This is why hybrid has been so successful. The employees like it, they don’t quit and the productivity is good after five days,” he said.
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