Lloyds Bank recently announced plans to tie bonuses for senior staff to their attendance. According to reports, around 60,000 of the bank’s senior Employees may see bonuses cut if they do not attend the office at least two days per week.
It’s not just Lloyds though. The news has been busy with reports of large companies telling their Employees that they need to be back in the office on a full-time basis (or close to it). Large firms like Amazon and JP Morgan have stated they require staff who work a 5-day week to be back in the office for all 5 days.
Prior to 2020, many Employers and indeed Employees considered working from home unfeasible and impractical, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced us into those very working habits. Despite initial resistance, many found benefits to the new arrangement, in terms of flexibility for Employees and cost savings for Employers.
Once the restrictions were lifted, many Employers introduced hybrid working schemes to maintain these benefits. A 2024 Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey found that more than a quarter of UK adults were working on a hybrid basis.
However, concerns have been growing that working from home may be limiting productivity and stalling Employees in their professional development, due to a lack of face-to-face interactions.
As a result, many Employers are attempting to get Employees back into the office.
Backlash Over Return-To-Work Mandates
In 2020, the pandemic-driven work-from-home mandates were met with backlash. Almost 5 years on, the idea of working full-time from the office again is now being met with backlash.
Thousands of Employees working at the Land Registry will be taking part in industrial action later this month, in response to being told they will now need to be in the office 3 days per week.
Advertising company WPP told its Employees they wanted them back in the office for four days per week, prompting a petition signed by over 10,000 people, calling for the Employer to reconsider.
With so much resistance to the idea of returning to pre-pandemic work arrangements, we thought it worthwhile to examine the main benefits and concerns reported by organisations, that are resulting in conflict between some Employees and Employers.
Benefits of Home Working
Cost savings – Many Employers have found that they are able to save money through a reduced need for office space, as well as scaling down the maintenance required for existing office space.
Reduced commutes – Working from home has allowed for a reduction in the time and money spent on private and public transport. The use of online conferencing platforms has made it possible for Employees scattered over great distances to meet without long commutes, potential delays and hotel stays. This has also contributed to a reduced carbon footprint.
Increased Productivity – While some Employers have concerns that home working may limit productivity, many Employees have flourished from working at home, away from the interruptions typical of an office environment.
Flexibility – Flexible working options are especially beneficial for Employees with health concerns, or childcare and caring responsibilities. Being able to offer flexibility is also a draw for a generation of new talent who value a work-life balance far more than the generations preceding them.
Concerns Over Home Working
Productivity Issues – Some Employers are concerned that working from home prevents Employees from being as productive as they could be, compared to working in an office environment without distractions, surrounded by colleagues, and overseen by Managers.
Negative impacts on workplace culture – Some Employers are concerned that due to the limited scope for face-to-face interactions, professional working relationships are hindered, and common organisational goals and workplace culture are harder to instil in Employees scattered in different directions.
Employee development – Again, there is a concern that the isolated nature of working from home and the limited scope for face-to-face interactions will hinder Employees in developing important people skills, in handling challenging situations, and working together as a team on shared projects.
Su Allen HR thoughts – Whilst not cited as a concern by Employers in the documentation we have reviewed, it is our opinion and experience that working from home can and has had a detrimental impact on some individual’s mental health. The impact poor Employee mental health can have on an organisation includes increases in absences (including long-term), impaired job performance, and an increase in Employee turnover.
Considerations For SMEs
For the large companies that we mentioned, the concerns are starting to outweigh the benefits, hence the mandates to get their Employees back into the office on a full-time basis.
But would a move such as a mandate make sense for a small to medium-sized enterprises keen to see their Employees in the office more often?
Does Your Hybrid System Need To End?
Is your hybrid system working? If not, are there other ways that you could address this? Are your Employees in roles that best suit their strengths? Are the right people working together? Are there external factors preventing some Employees from accessing the workplace? Are there health issues some Employees need to consider since the pandemic? Do Employees have everything they need to work successfully remotely? Are deadlines reasonable? Are you providing recognition for your Employees for their hard work? These are just a few questions an Employer should consider, prior to removing a hybrid system. Removing it could hinder you in attracting new talent. It could disproportionately affect Employees with health conditions, or childcare and caring responsibilities – handling this badly could put you at risk of tribunal claims over disability discrimination and indirect sex discrimination.
What About Your Employment Contracts?
Did you update your Contracts of Employment to reflect the changes to a hybrid system, brought about by the pandemic lockdowns? If so, to mitigate the risk of any claims, you may need to amend those Contracts before considering any mandate to get Employees back into the office on a full-time basis. Please be aware that Employees must be consulted on any change to a Contract, prior to its implementation, and given the opportunity to ask questions and raise returns.
An Increase In Flexible Working Requests?
You may have always offered flexible working options, but it is worth remembering that people’s needs and requirements for flexibility may have changed since the work from home mandates of 2020. A removal of an existing hybrid system could result in an increase in flexible working requests, in an attempt to regain the flexibility that existed during the hybrid days. Furthermore, with the new Employment Rights Bill making it possible for Employees to request a change to their working arrangements under the Flexible Working legislation from day one of the job (click here for our Blog on this topic), it will be much harder for Employers to turn down these requests. Bear in mind that an Employee can make two requests within a 12-month period, and that they do not need to advise how they feel it will impact the organisation.
Conclusion
So many of us considered working from home an impossibility, until it was a requirement. Now many of us consider turning back the clock an impossibility. Furthermore, there has been a considerable increase in health concerns, social concerns and care needs and responsibilities since the pandemic. Some are a matter of personal preference, but many are a matter of absolute need.
If your hybrid system is working well for you, don’t feel pressured to change it. If it isn’t working anymore, however, then it is much safer to explore all other possibilities and resolutions before issuing a blanket return-to-work mandate.
If you need any advice or support on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact us.