More employers take steps to get staff back to the office

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Working flexibly and splitting time between the office, home and another location is the new normal, the Office for National Statistics has confirmed. This is based on the findings in its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, which found that hybrid working was the standard pattern for more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain in late 2024.

However, more employers now want their staff in the workplace more than they’re not and they’re facing a backlash as a result.

Since 1 January 2025, BT is one of the employers taking the step to get everyone back into the office, as it tells its 50,000 strong office-based workforce they need to be on site for at least three days a week in what it has dubbed a “three together, two wherever” approach. To enforce this, office entry and exit data will be monitored.

PWC has also been cutting back on remote working, as has Santander, Starling and Asda. Amazon have gone even further and asked their staff to return to the office full time. This is despite studies showing that hybrid working can be a valuable retention tool.

In terms of backlash, this was seen recently when members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union, working as civilian staff within the Metropolitan Police, voted to strike for the first time after they were told to increase their office attendance.

Employers taking this step need to consider the impact such a move will have on their staff. They will also need to think about and plan for the practicalities of it. Several Amazon offices in the US have already confirmed they did not meet the 2 January deadline they set to get everyone back in, as they lack the space to do so, with some reports saying that this might not be resolved until May.

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