The UK government has said a “culture of presenteeism” among workers has damaged productivity, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer subsequently backed home working to reverse this.
“Presenteeism” refers to the practice of companies introducing a minimum number of days an employee must be in the office per week or month, but there are questions about whether this tactic actually improves productivity.
The government also wants to introduce the “right to disconnect”, which would set out a code of practice on contact with employees outside of working hours.
RTO mandates fail
Both remote working and the right to switch off are aimed at one goal: “improving productivity,” Sir Keir’s spokesman said. “Good employers understand that for employees to stay motivated and productive, they need to be able to switch off and that a culture of presenteeism can be detrimental to productivity.”
“It’s about making sure we have the right balance between making the most of the flexible working practices we saw after the pandemic and also having the right measures in place to ensure people can remain productive,” he concluded.
A recent analysis of Flex Index (via IT Professional) also found that only 3% of companies have a full-time return-to-office mandate, while 79% of companies offer fully flexible working. Only 18% set out which days their workers have to be in the office.
However, the government’s home working policy would depend on the needs of each company as “each person’s roles will vary”. The Conservative Party has questioned whether policies such as these would apply to civil servants and government advisers, criticising the Prime Minister that the rules Sir Keir imposed on companies would not apply to his own staff.
“Expected working hours are set out for all Cabinet employees in their terms and conditions of employment,” Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould responded.
Through The Daily Telegraph
