Retailer John Lewis has asked some of its staff to spend three days of their working week in its office, stores or collaborative spaces.
This will affect some of its commercial teams, who collaborate on the design and sourcing of products and store experience, and often work with brands and suppliers.
The employer stated that its flexible working policy has not changed following this update, adding that all of its staff can still request flexible working, but it needs to be agreed with their manager.
Its aim with the change is to improve collaboration and create an environment where teams can learn and develop, particularly new members of staff. It is intended to be in line with its hybrid approach, which supports a balance of office working, being close to shops, meeting suppliers and working remotely.
The retailer has additionally moved to a new office in Pimlico, London this year, which provides a new working environment that includes collaborative spaces.
A John Lewis spokesperson said: “Flexible working is an important part of our offer; everyone in our business can request to work flexibly, and most central office partners have hybrid working arrangements in place. A collaborative culture is critical to help create the best product ranges and store environment for our customers and we’re taking steps to encourage team members to spend time together in our offices, our stores, meeting brands and suppliers and balancing this with working remotely.
“This approach is consistent with those taken by other major retailers. We’ve also recruited around 50 new team members to help spearhead our range development and store modernisation, and their training and development is vital to set us up for success.”
