return to office

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Employee Benefits poll: Almost half (48%) of employers said they have enforced a return-to-office mandate or increased the number of days staff need to be in the workplace, according to a survey of Employee Benefits readers.

Just under half (46%) of employer respondents said they have not enforced a return-to-office mandate or increased the number of days staff need to be in the workplace.

Meanwhile, 5% said they were considering enforcing or increasing this, and 1% said they were unsure.

Last month, Employee Benefits reported that Morrisons asked employees at its Bradford head office to return to working five days a week instead of four and a half, and Primark asked employees in its product teams to return to the office for four days a week.

Morrisons staff will still have the option to work both from home and the office during the week despite the change. Individual flexibility arrangements will continue to be possible where needed by the employees.

Despite the change, which will take effect from 15 September, Primark employees will still be able to work from home on Fridays and finish at 2pm.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “In the context of a relentlessly competitive UK grocery market and widespread increased cost pressures, we have taken the difficult decision to ask our head office employees to move their working pattern from 4.5 days to a full five-day week. This will support us further to deliver improved availability and service for our customers.”

A Primark spokesperson added: “After experiencing remote, hybrid, and full-time models in recent years, we will be reintroducing a four-day in-office work week for our product teams. We know that when our product teams are together in-person, it strengthens productivity, creativity and development, ultimately delivering the best offering for our customers.”