Latest news with #Jane Gratton
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Home workers quit rather than return to the office
A startling number of workers are choosing to hand in their notice rather than return to the office, as companies tighten their grip on remote working arrangements. One in 10 businesses surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said that at least some of their employees were quitting rather than shift back to in-person work. It comes as a growing number of companies order staff back to the office. Over two fifths of businesses said they have increased requirements for office attendance in the past year and nearly half expect their workforce to be in the office full-time within the next 12 months. This is a notable jump from last year's BCC polling, which found only 27pc of businesses predicted a return to full in-person work over the next five years. Jane Gratton, at the BCC, said: 'With the cost of doing business continuing to escalate, firms are looking to boost productivity. 'Hybrid working can help firms attract and retain a skilled and engaged workforce. However, some employers are identifying significant benefits of bringing all staff together again on-site.' Large global banks have long mandated strict policies to get employees back to the office. JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs demand five days a week, while Barclays introduced a three day minimum earlier this year. Meanwhile, HSBC warned staff at its UK retail bank that their bonuses would be at risk if they do not spend at least 60pc of their days in the office. The BCC's findings suggest at least some staff are resisting these changes. Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development last month estimated that around 80,000 Scots quit their jobs because of in-office mandates. Marek Zemanik, at CIPD, said: 'There's a clear mismatch between what employers are pushing for and what many employers value.' Manufacturers and consumer-facing firms are leading the back-to-office charge, the BCC found, with 62pc and 61pc of companies in the sectors respectively expecting all working days to be office-based. Ms Gratton said: 'We're seeing a clear shift towards more firms requiring full on-site working, but it's by no means a uniform picture. 'Hybrid working has become a fixture of modern working life since the pandemic and is valued by employers and their workforce. But it does not suit everyone. The push to get staff back to the office follows more evidence of the downsides of homeworking in some sectors. For example, many staff at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) were allowed to work remotely after managers decided it would help the organisation reduce its carbon footprint and cut car journeys to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2035. However, an investigation into an devastating air traffic control meltdown in 2023 was blamed in part on engineer working from home.
Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Times
One in ten businesses see staff quit over office working demands
Almost one in ten businesses has had staff quit after they were told to stop working from home, research has shown. The research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found that 9 per cent had lost staff because of a failure to offer remote working. The survey of 583 businesses between April and May also found that 48 per cent expect staff back in the office full-time over the next year. Employers are increasingly turning against working from home in a bid to boost workers' productivity, the BCC said. Some 41 per cent of employers thought remote working made employees less productive. Jane Gratton, the BCC's director of public policy, said the budget had 'ramped up employment costs' and led to businesses looking at how to increase productivity. She said: 'In some cases firms are saying we need to bring people back to the office to reach the levels we want to achieve.' Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has pushed through reforms to workers' rights, which include the right to request flexible working. Under the changes, bosses have to accept flexible working requests except where 'it is not reasonably feasible' and must provide a justification. Ministers have insisted that there are 'real economic benefits' to more flexible working and that the legal right will help productivity and the 'resilience' of staff. • Legal right to work from home will boost productivity, says Labour But experts said Labour's increase in employers' national insurance contributions at the budget in October had prompted more demands from businesses for in-person working. According to the BCC, manufacturers and customer-facing companies have consistently preferred staff in their premises rather than at homes and are particularly likely to think remote working is bad for their business. Gratton said: 'We're seeing a clear shift towards more firms requiring full onsite working, but it's by no means a uniform picture.' She said some companies had found that fully remote jobs were bad for the business and the employee, with less chance to share ideas and less oversight of how employees are coping under pressure. She also said that companies worried about employee development without young workers shadowing on-site senior colleagues. But not all companies favour a return to strict working rules, with many saying they remained open to flexible arrangements that were not fully remote, such as altered working hours or job shares. Gratton said: 'The pandemic reset how and where people worked, and employment models adjusted. It's taken time for businesses to assess the impact of those working patterns.' A government spokesman said: 'Flexible working can help people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to healthier and more productive employees, and that's why we've committed to this through our Employment Rights Bill. 'Flexible working extends beyond just home and hybrid working arrangements. It is down to businesses and the employee to determine working arrangements that suit their respective needs.' In 2023 a similar survey found that less than 30 per cent of businesses expected their workforce to be in the office full-time over the next five years.
