Return to office working?

In this episode, our employment experts discuss the challenges for employers in a post-Covid world who are now asking their employees to return to office-based working.

The Covid-19 national lockdown led to a dramatic shift in the way many businesses operate, initially with an immediate move to full home working, which has been followed by an extended period of flexible working practices. Almost 5 years on, the health and safety factors that drove the move to the flexible working patterns have long since disappeared, however huge numbers of office workers across the UK continue to adopt hybrid working practices. Employers who have tried to encourage increased days in the office on an informal basis have seen mixed results, leading many to consider whether a more formal approach is needed.

For most office-based roles, it is now rare to see an employer mandate a five-day working week in the office. For many employees, it has become an expectation that they will still spend significant portions of their working week working remotely from home and have adapted their lifestyles accordingly.  A less flexible approach for employers can become a difficult issue for both recruitment and staff retention as a result. But has there been a shift in what employers want or need in recent times and is the current level of flexibility still the best fit for their businesses?

According to reports, Amazon has asked its admin team to return to the office full time from January 2025, rather than working two days from home. Tesco’s has asked its staff to increase their office attendance, whilst sports retailer JD sports has asked its head office employees to work from the office for at least four days a week, rather than whenever they wish. What impact does it have from a legal and commercial perspective to get people back into the office? Are we about to embark on a shift back to office norms of pre-pandemic times? For those employers who do need more office based working moving forward, what challenges do they face after allowing more flexibility for such an extended period of time?

Hosted by employment partner Abigail Maino, with employment partners Will Walsh and Greg Burgess joining the discussion to share their valuable insights.