‘The momentum back towards office working will be hard to stop’

The debate around home working has risen to the surface once again following a flurry of new policy announcements by retailers.

Primark has told its product teams to be in the office four days a week from September, arguing that it improves productivity, creativity and development.

John Lewis has said staff in certain commercial teams like buying and merchandising should be in the office, in store or visiting suppliers three days a week from the start of July, rather than the current three days a week from home.

Morrisons has also ditched its flexible working policy, telling head office staff in Bradford they must work a regular five-day week. The grocer had previously introduced a flexible four-day week during the Covid-19 pandemic, which involved staff working one Saturday every four weeks.

The momentum back towards office working will be hard to stop. The more retailers review their policies, the more the market benchmark shifts and the more it gives competitors tacit permission to follow suit.

These shifts in HR policy are having a knock-on effect on recruitment dynamics. We’re already seeing employees who joined retailers during the peak of post-pandemic remote working start moving to roles more accessible to their homes as opportunities for flexible working decline.

As a headhunter I see the flexible working debate from the perspective of both the recruiter and candidate, and rarely do their positions perfectly align.

In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic my feeling was the balance of power had shifted too far towards the candidate, with those possessing the right attributes largely able to dictate how they worked. Then, last year, as return to the office mandates started to kick in, I wrote that the sweet spot was settling at three days a week in the office.

I feel that’s shifted again with four days in the office the new benchmark, with the other day spent either working from home or travelling within the business (because we mustn’t forget the importance of senior leaders spending time on the shop floor and in the supply chain).

We remain in straitened economic times and it’s only right that retailers seek to exploit any competitive advantage that can be gained by having people in physical proximity as often as possible.

“Businesses that choose to mandate five days in the office need to recognise that it will reduce the pool of candidates available to them”

Although evidence about productivity remains contested, there’s broad consensus that being present in an office environment gives rise to greater creativity and collaboration. Speak to business leaders and they will invariably argue that game-changing ideas are more likely to be generated in a room full of colleagues than via a computer screen.

I also believe the career progression of younger professionals can benefit from being more visible to managers and mentors. And we shouldn’t forget the social connections that are made in the workplace – often overlooked but so important for overall health and wellbeing.

To be clear, I do not feel that feel that strict mandates to work five days a week in the office are necessary. Survey data shows that 52% of people still work remotely at least once a week and companies that offer remote work have 25% lower employee turnover rate.

Businesses that choose to mandate five days in the office need to recognise that it will reduce the pool of candidates available to them. Most senior executives are prepared to spend two nights away from home during the week, which can work within a four-day office routine.

But if your business is headquartered in the North or the Midlands and you are recruiting a director-level position that requires five days a week in the office you are essentially asking prospective candidates based in the South to relocate for the role (or vice versa). Many will not be prepared to do so.

We are not seeing a complete unpicking of the focus on work-life balance that took root during Covid-19.

Patrick Lewis, for example, recently stepped down as finance boss of Oak Furnitureland to focus more time on his family and non-executive commitments.

Yet those who predicted an inexorable shift towards more flexible working were mistaken. The new normal is starting to look a lot like the old normal – for that, many employers will be grateful.